from the
David Suzuki Foundation:
Dear friends of the David Suzuki Foundation,
Like all of us at the Foundation, you are likely heartbroken by our
government’s reckless decision to break its international commitment to
the Kyoto Protocol. Coming on the heels of Canada’s attempts to scuttle
the climate talks in Durban, South Africa, earlier this month, this
decision may also leave you feeling angry and ashamed of our leaders. We
feel that way, too.
We all understand that our future and that of our children and
grandchildren hangs in the balance now and that the scales could be
tipped by the resolve--or indifference--of the world leaders who
recently came together, for the most part, to figure out ways to reduce
our greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. The world’s
scientists have been telling us this for decades, and the growing
evidence of our warming biosphere, and its increasingly catastrophic
impacts, are now the daily fodder of newscasts and weather reports.
The Kyoto Protocol was not perfect, but it was leading to progressive
action on climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions have been going down
in Europe, and many countries are shifting from polluting fossil fuels
to cleaner energy sources. Awareness has grown worldwide about the
threat of climate change. Successive Canadian governments, with their
focus on a tar sands economy, ensured that we did not meet even the weak
targets that they set. In fact, Canada’s emissions have risen by 30 per
cent over 1990 levels, leaving us way above our target of reducing
levels by six per cent by 2012.
And, make no mistake, the world has been watching.
Canada’s poor performance at the climate talks in Durban and its
decision to become the first country to pull out of the international
legal agreement have drawn criticism from people worldwide--and rightly
so. That our government would be willing to sacrifice human lives and
our future for the sake of short-term profits from a polluting and
non-renewable resource is a slap in the face not only to Canadians but
to people everywhere.
This is not hyperbole. Climate change and its disastrous
effects--droughts, heat waves, flooding, spread of disease--are already
killing 300,000 people a year and driving many more into poverty.
Hundreds of thousands are becoming refugees as such impacts make their
homelands uninhabitable. Experts believe that up to a billion people
could become refugees in coming years if the trend continues. Many
plants and animals--crucial to our own health and well-being--are going
extinct as climate change wreaks havoc on their habitat.
But Canada is much more than its federal government. And our economy is
much more than just the oil industry. Canada is you and me and
provincial and municipal government leaders. It is businesspeople and
union members and retired people and children. It is all of us. And we
are making a difference. Some provincial governments have implemented
plans to reduce emissions, spur economic activity in the green energy
sector and slow climate change. B.C. and Quebec have implemented carbon
taxes, Quebec is planning to cap and reduce industrial emissions, and
Ontario has its Green Energy Act, a game-changing piece of legislation.
Some municipal governments are taking climate change seriously, too.
Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan includes policies to increase the
number of people who cycle or use transit rather than cars and to make
homes and buildings more energy efficient.
And you have worked with organizations like the David Suzuki Foundation
to put the focus on knowledge and solutions. With your support, we’ve
encouraged governments at the municipal and provincial levels to take
action, and we’ve worked with opposition parties to speak up for the
majority who want a cleaner and healthier future. We’ve also teamed up
with the Canadian Academy of Engineering and a range of interested
parties, for the Trottier Energy Futures Project--an extraordinary
initiative to analyze Canada’s energy sources and options and identify
ways to slash emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, through wiser energy
choices. And we’ve been working with a wide range of Canadians,
including young people and new Canadians, reaching out in different
languages to share new ideas and discuss solutions.
You’ve all been a big part of this work, through your amazing support.
You’ve written letters, signed petitions, taken part in forums,
volunteered, talked to each other, and donated money. Equally important,
you’ve walked the talk--taking transit, insulating your homes, buying
local, and modelling other behaviour attuned to a sustainable future.
Please stay the course with us.
Canada’s government may be turning its back on the global fight against
climate change, but that makes it all the more important for us to take
up the slack. We know that reducing emissions and combatting climate
change is not just about human health--although that’s important, both
from the standpoint of climate change and pollution. We know that our
government’s inaction on climate change means more missed opportunities
to become part of the burgeoning global green economy, with its focus on
clean energy technology and knowledge. And we know that if our
government is not willing to listen to the majority--and yes, we are the
majority--if it cares more about keeping its friends in the fossil-fuel
industry happy, then we must do all we can to make a difference.
In the coming days and weeks, please take action to affirm your
convictions. This will embolden others to express their views and act as
well. For example, you could:
- Comment on this letter
- Write to your elected representatives: municipal and provincial as
well as federal, demanding to know “What is next?” in the wake of our
withdrawal from Kyoto
- Deepen your connection to our efforts by becoming a monthly donor or giving what you can. Your donations help us press harder and speak louder.
- Talk to your friends and family about the Canada we envisage: one
that acts on the understanding that we are interconnected and
interdependent with nature
Together, we can mobilize many more Canadians in defence of our biosphere, and once again be proud of our country.
Thank you again,
David Suzuki, on behalf of the entire David Suzuki Foundation team
comment by dwdeclare:
unfortunately, from what i see living in alberta, the majority of people just don't give a damn. they still drive their massive pickup trucks or SUVs; many leave their vehicles idling (even when it isn't cold out); they still buy coffee and fast food garbage in disposable containers, adding to our already overfilled dumps, and very often toss the trash on the ground (tim hortons being the garbage of choice most often seen); they believe they are doing their patriotic duty by continuing to eat meat, even though the cattle industry is a huge greenhouse gas contributor (not to mention ethically indefensible), and will proudly display an, "i heart alberta beef" bumper sticker on their truck to boast about it.
yes, we are more than our government, but our flawed electoral parliamentary system put these jokers in power (even though 60%, of the 61% who bothered to cast a ballot in 2011, voted against them) and unfortunately, they represent this country. and from my experience, as long as people have a car to drive, a home to put their stuff in, and a tim hortons disposable coffee in their hand, they don't care who's in power.
it's not the canadian government's fault kyoto wasn't adhered to, it's the canadian people's fault. millions of people doing little acts of ignorance and thoughtlessness make the world a nasty polluted place.
the opposite could be true if we all did little acts of thoughtfulness and considered the impact we have on our natural world with the way we choose to feed, clothe, house, and transport ourselves, but honestly, i don't see that happening.
it's going to take a real consciousness raising for it to change, and as much as i love the nature of things (now in its 50th season), it depresses the hell out of me when i go outside and it's back to reality breathing car exhaust; listening to how we all must serve our god the economy with jobs and spending to buy more crap; and seeing fast food garbage strewn about the ground.
the exploiting 1% is certainly a problem, but i blame 99% percent of people for destroying this planet.