Plant trees, help save the planet
Here is an idea that Ottawa City Council and its citizens might consider discussing in the municipal election campaign: planting trees.
We are bombarded daily with reports of climate change. One of the simplest ways of addressing that is planting trees to make buildings cooler in summer and warmer in winter. But there are streets, neighbourhoods and whole suburbs in Ottawa where one can hardly see a single tree providing shade for buildings.
So, let the city pay half the cost of up to three trees for any homeowner who submits an invoice. The city could arrange for a discount and councillors’ brochures could provide information on what kinds of trees to buy. Then, while the federal government and the provinces squabble over the carbon tax, we will be reducing carbon emissions, making this the greenest city in Canada, and saving money on both hydro and gas bills. Ed Whitcomb, Ottawa
Not ‘who’s to blame?’ but ‘who can help?’
Re: Climate study skews the blame, Oct. 15.
As the article illustrates, it is possible to have endless discussions about who bears the blame for pollution and global warming. Some argue that those who produce the fuel are to blame, others assert that those who consume it (e.g. by driving) are at fault. Some might argue that those who built and sold the cars created the problem. Still others blame those who transport the fuel.
Those things no longer matter. The important question is “Who has the remedy?” i.e. “Who is able to reduce the emissions pointed out by the scientists?” Asking about blame is asking about the past. It is the future that matters.
If we consider possible remedies, we will see that many parties can help. Producers can work on producing cleaner fuel, more efficiently. Vehicle designers can design cars that pollute less. Consumers can drive less, or buy more fuel-efficient cars. Governments can use taxation incentives to get us to do those things, introduce regulations to limit pollution, and provide alternate means of transportation.
When it comes to global warming, we should focus on the future. David Lorge Parnas, Ottawa
Canada (and media) can do much better
The recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report calls for urgent action to combat global warming, a key driver of climate change and its consequences (rising sea levels, floods, record high temperatures, extreme weather events). Individuals and governments can and must do more. This will not be easy but the future depends on it.
For starters, Canada should show leadership at the climate change conference in Poland this December by setting more ambitious reduction targets beyond those of the previous Conservative government (adopted by the current Liberal government).
Canadians need to be regularly and continuously reminded of the dire consequences of inaction, while being shown examples of what individual empowerment to act can accomplish. So far, I am unimpressed by the lack of sustained media coverage of this recent report and the media’s failure to hold governments at all levels to account for their inadequate progress in addressing the issue. Tim Leah, Ottawa
These headlines tell the real story
This was an appropriate juxtaposition: Your headline “Scientists study climate change for its effects on mental health” with the adjacent views of Donald Trump on climate change, “I think something’s happening, something’s changing, and it’ll change back again.” Clearly, the effects are already being felt. John Edmond, Ottawa