In addition to the many responsibilities we assume, we all have a bad news quota. If it’s personal (e.g., a death of a family member or friend), we take the time to grieve. If it’s not personal and we feel there’s too much else going on, we simply ignore it. I employ the latter regularly. I glance at a headline, and I say, “No, I choose not to go there. It’s too much.”
Record scorching heat, drought, flood, wildfires. The Supreme Court of Canada calls climate change “an existential threat to human life.” It is now. It is close by as well as global. It is only going to get worse — very soon.
Climate change is the elephant in the room. Most of us know that it’s there, but we largely ignore it. This is fatal. Simply put, our elected leaders do little unless until we speak up, unless we loudly demand immediate, sustained, and decisive action.
Canada’s climate record is littered with broken promises and underperformance. Yes, there are many other climate villains. They include fossil fuel companies and banks who are egregiously blinded by greed and short-term profit.
But the real enemy is us — good people who do nothing. We know we have a serious problem but we choose to ignore it, hoping that someone else will take it on. That’s not good enough. What we say and do — in large numbers — most definitely matters. There is no question that we already have the solutions. What we lack is the willpower to speak up and demand that they be implemented.
In late June, I received a summer newsletter from my MP Filomena Tassi. It is full of positive news about various government initiatives and the centrespread is a Canadian Flag for our July 1st celebrations. But there is not a single mention of climate change, positive or otherwise. This is unconscionable. This is dereliction of duty. Knowingly or not, this government is leading a deadly conspiracy of silence which far too many of us are participating in.
Minister Tassi’s government declared a climate EMERGENCY on June 17, 2019. That’s more than four years ago. The word “emergency” calls for action — now. While there have been positive steps taken (e.g., a carbon tax, the Canada Greener Homes Grant, and a commitment to having 30% of our lands preserved by 2030), it’s not nearly enough. When I compare the list of decisive and comprehensive actions the government implemented in response to the Covid pandemic to what we have done to fight climate change, its efforts to address the latter are pathetic.
Let’s return to you, the busy and well-intentioned citizen who, like all of us, has a bad news quota. Simply put, climate change MUST evoke your sustained, informed and noisy response.
- Find your personal motivation for speaking up. The most obvious ones are your kids and grandkids, a love of nature, a concern for the future. Find your passion. Find your love.
- What are your talents? How best can you address the elephant in the room? Are you a writer? (Minister Tassi, other politicians, banks and fossil fuels need to hear from you!) Are you a behind-the-scenes effective organizer? Do you have a large social media following? If you have already taken positive personal action (e.g., switching to a cold weather heat pump), be sure to “talk your walk” — let others know what you have done.
Find your reason for mobilizing your personality.
We truly are all in this together.
Grant Linney lives in Dundas. climategrant@gmail.com