Niagara Falls Review e-edition

Putting our planet on the ballot is essential

Simply maintaining the status quo with some minor adjustments is not a viable option

JOHN GIBB John Gibb is a retired firefighter, educator and environmental generalist.

“Political campaigns are designedly made into emotional orgies which endeavour to distract attention from the real issues involved, and they actually paralyze what slight powers of cerebration man can normally muster.” — James Harvey Robinson (1863-1935)

That quote appears to have foretold the lack of depth and substance in our present election campaign, especially when viewed within the context of the recent French- and English-language debates.

We all know COVID-19 continues to cause suffering and concern locally and globally. COVID has also resulted in delays in many important social and environmental justice areas including the climate crisis.

There is no middle ground available for climate action anymore. That opportunity disappeared decades ago.

As the blanket of fossil fuel pollution enveloping our planet continues to push global temperatures ever higher, many of us are frightened for our communities, for people around the globe, and for the world we leave our children.

We all have our climate stories, awareness and concerns.

During the ’70s I was a provincial firefighter working in northwestern Ontario. As challenging as that was at times, we did not experience anything like the climate-fuelled forest fires now occurring.

The world’s fossil fuel addiction seems too lucrative for governments and corporations to move away from in time.

It’s easy to feel powerless — that anything we do is insignificant against the causes of climate change.

Even the darkest cloud may have a silver lining, if only we take the time to look beyond the surface.

As physicist Neil Bohr once stated, “Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.”

The climate crisis presents us with a major local and national case in point. We are required to let go of a wish to return to a past when weather was generally much less disruptive, destructive and predictable, and recognize that maintaining the status quo with minor adjustments is not a viable option.

Continued individualism coupled with predatory capitalism must be recognized as a recipe for disaster, and a roadblock to any timely civilized response to global warming and climate change.

Facing this crisis honestly, openly, and without fear will permit us the golden opportunity to work co-operatively toward a more equitable, caring, sustainable, and peaceful existence.

Successive Canadian governments have for decades set carbon reduction and similar targets while never yet devising a means to carry them out. It was just hot air.

Many years when the necessary work would have been more affordable and readily achievable have been wasted.

Ever increasing subsidies to the oil and gas sector directly conflict with Canada’s carbon emission reduction policies.

Purchasing the TMX pipeline and committing billions to its expansion suggests an intention for the Alberta tarsands to be exploited for decades to come.

Recent announcements from Ottawa that the Canadian-owned pipeline’s revenues are required to fund a “just transition” defy logic.

Big Oil knew long ago that we were headed for the climate crisis we all now face and live with.

They deliberately hid the results of their research which confirmed the direct causal relationships between atmospheric CO2 released during fossil fuel extraction, processing, and combustion, and global warming. They then created and funded massive propaganda campaigns which very effectively confused the issue, and “fuelled” climate denial.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers continuously lobbies Ottawa in order to promote their greenwashing campaigns and discourage and delay meaningful climate action.

This election on Sept. 20 presents all Canadians with an important opportunity to ensure that politicians in each party are aware of and actively respect our voice as we call for truly effective and timely action for ourselves, our children, grandchildren, and good old Mother Earth.

It’s our turn to speak now. Whatever the outcome when our votes are counted, it will be upon us to hold all politicians’ feet to the climate fire. As Howard Zinn said: “You can’t be neutral on a moving train!”

OPINION

en-ca

2021-09-16T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-16T07:00:00.0000000Z

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