So What Can I Do?

So what can I/you/we do for Climate change.

We are in a remarkable transition period now. Four years ago there was great hope when the Paris accord for climate change was signed. Yet the reality was very little real action followed. However, in the last 18 months an unknown Swedish high school student named Greta has become the lightening rod for mass protests including in Canada. On September 27 over 7 million protesters worldwide were marching for climate change and 1 out of 7 of those were in Canada. The Green New Deal has hit the main stream in politics in the US (at least on the Democrat side). Now the European Investment Bank has said it will no longer

finance fossil fuel projects after 2021.

The TIDE is clearly changing. And Yet…

Two  recent reports have come out in the last couple of weeks. First is yet another report from a group called the World’s Scientists that was published on Nov. 5th. A quote from the article is as follows: “we need bold and drastic transformations regarding economic and population policies “. The article highlighted six areas in which steps that governments, businesses, and the rest of humanity can take to lessen the worst effects of climate change. They are;

1. Energy: We need massive energy efficiency and conservation practices to replace fossil fuels with cleaner sources of energy.
2. Short-Lived Pollutants: We need to promptly reduce the emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, black carbon (soot), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
3. Nature: We must protect and restore Earth’s ecosystems for sequestration of atmospheric CO₂.
4. Food: Eating mostly plant-based foods while reducing the global consumption of animal products.
5. Economy: Excessive extraction of materials and overexploitation of ecosystems, driven by economic growth, must be quickly curtailed to maintain long-term sustainability of the biosphere.
6. Population: Still increasing by roughly 80 million people per year, or more than 200,000 per day, the world population must be stabilized—and, ideally, gradually reduced—within a framework that ensures social integrity.

More information is in the article. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biz088/5610806

A second report came out one week later on Nov. 12th. This was published in the esteemed medical journal The Lancet. The conclusion of this report states: “Despite increasing public attention over the past 12 months, the world is yet to see a response from governments which matches the scale of the challenge … a crucial shift must occur—one which moves from discussion and commitment, to meaningful reductions in emissions.”  This article highlighted that it will be our children and their children who will be most affected if we keep doing business as usual.

So is there an easy guide to help us make changes? I learned about the Design Our Climate simulation in The Tyee on Nov. 13th. This simulation allows people to design their own climate future customizing strategies through adjusting multiple variables from five difference sector: electricity, transportation, land use, buildings and materials. This can be found by going to kvcs.ca.

As the Climate Action Committee starts to formalize action we can take on Denman, let’s all get involved, share what we are doing, and take new action to help build a better world for our children. And yes, we must advocate for our governments at all levels to take action as well. The battle for our planet and the future for our children is not won but the Tide is definitely starting to turn.

Dr. Ron