Tackle climate change now
There may still be some naysayers out there when it comes to the reality of climate change, but the rhetoric from that camp is at the straw-grasping stage now. Science is saying the earth is warming at an alarming rate and it’s not just an anomaly or an aberration. It is the status quo.
This ‘inconvenient truth’ as Al Gore would say, is now just a ‘truth,’ it’s inconvenience relegated to those businesses or industries that thrive on the extraction or use of fossil fuels.
Globally, temperatures have risen by 0.85C since 1880. In Canada that figure is 1.6C – and Canada’s north is warming more quickly than that.
Recently West Nova MP Colin Fraser held a town hall meeting on the subject to gather concerns and ideas from constituents and to set the stage, he outlined some of the science and some of Canada’s goals.
In December, Canada and 194 other countries agreed to limit global average temperature rise to below 2C and will strive for 1.5C. That’s a major undertaking and only possible if ever industry, business, citizen takes part in that Paris Agreement pledge.
Not convinced? Don’t want to be involved?
Take a look at what’s already happening. These are observed and verifiable changes observed and documented in Canada:
- More extreme weather events.
- Longer and more extensive heat waves and fewer cold spells.
- Thawing permafrost.
- Earlier river ice break-up.
- Increased precipitation over large parts of Canada.
- More snowfall in the northwest Arctic. - Earlier spring runoff.
Those are just a few.
The federal government is rightfully leading the charge on tackling climate change. The provinces seem to be onboard at least in the initial stages of the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initiative. And they need to stay onboard. This cannot be a case of backing out because of differences. This is a case of staying the course until there are no differences.
Nova Scotia is no exception. Municipalities must be part of the discussions as well, because changes at the grass roots are the easiest to implement and the most enduring. Federal and provincial incentives must be in place.
While Canada’s fossil fuel sins are many, we need to admit those sins and move on – creating an entire alternative energy industry while moving away from dependence on oil and coal.
Canada can be a leader in tackling climate change. Canada can be a leader in developing alternatives. It depends on what kind of future Canadians want for their grandchildren – and if they want a future at all for their great-grandchildren.