Reasons for Our Concerns
We want the government of Canada to show effective leadership in addressing climate change.
We want Canada to reclaim its former position as a leading advocate for environmental issues, a reputation that has been tarnished by our obstructionist behaviour on the international stage over the past few years (Sandro Contenta, GlobalPost.com, Dec. 16, 2009) and by its complete rejection of the agreement in December 2011.
We want the government of Canada to make a serious commitment to Research and Development (R and D) funding for environmentally friendly technologies and business practices, clean energy alternatives, and to lead our nation in a move away from dependency on traditional energy sources.
We want the government of Canada to recognize that what is good for the environment is also good for the economy. Nations that have made a real commitment to investing in eco-friendly technologies are already seeing positive results, and reclaiming our role as a leader in environmental innovation will reap long-term health and financial benefits.
DID YOU KNOW?
That the oceans are being acidified by absorbing carbob dioxide from the air. What excerpts from Revolution, a movie about our oceans and life on the planet.
That the oil sands contaminate air and water. Web site.
That the group For Our Grandchildren is active in supporting action on climate change. Web site.
That there has been a concerted effort to silence opposition to projects such as pipelines.
"But the environment isn’t the only thing people are standing up for. Across the country, people have reacted to efforts by the oil lobby and our federal government to silence opposition to the pipeline. Using terms like 'radicals' and 'foreigners,' these groups have tried to draw a line between those who have a right to speak and those who don’t. But far from putting a chill on Canadians, their efforts are mobilizing more people every day to stand up for our future."
-Ecojustice
Read More.
That the closure of Canada’s Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Lab (PEARL) has shocked many Canadians. Located at 80°N in the High Arctic on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, PEARL is the northernmost civilian research laboratory in the world.
Read When Opinion Trumps Scientific Reason here.
That Whistleblower Claims Prime Minister's Office Tried to Silence Enbridge Gateway Pipeline Critic: Affidavit claims Prime Minister's Office labelled environmental group an "Enemy of the Government of Canada" and an, "Enemy of the People of Canada". Read More.
That while the Kyoto Protocol was ratified by a previous federal government in 2002, the current government disregarded the binding emission-reduction targets all signatory nations had agreed to and ultimately withdrew from the protocal at an international conference in December 2011 to the shock of many Canadians and to international disapproval. ("We’re all familiar with Canada’s obstructionist role at international climate talks and our bulging collection of 'Fossil of the Year' prizes, awarded in disdain by environmentalists. All this culminated in Ottawa’s actual withdrawal this month from Kyoto accord, the only remotely plausible worldwide effort underway for tackling climate change." Linda MacQuaig, The Star, December 20, 1011)
Here is a petition to support Kyoto.
Much greater efforts were made to discredit the Kyoto Protocol than to find a workable plan to deal with the urgent health and environmental issues surrounding climate change. (Stephen Leahy, ipsnews.net., April 28 2006)
That in early 2007, a majority of parliament passed bill C-288 requiring the government to submit within 60 days how they planned to meet the Kyoto targets. Instead, they submitted a proposal that would reduce emissions to only 6% below 1990 levels, and no earlier than 2020. (CTV.ca, Feb 14 2007). We want more urgent and ambitious action to combat what is almost universally regarded as one of the greatest threats to humanity.
That as of 2007, the only signatory member of the Kyoto Protocol that was behind Canada on meeting its reduction targets was Austria (Hilary Osborne, Guardian UK, May 29 2007). While the current government cannot be faulted for the inaction of the previous government, we had hoped this would have been the impetus to strengthen our efforts to meet these targets. Regrettably, the current government played a largely obstructionist role in the Copenhagen meetings on climate change, damaging our reputation in the international community. (Sandro Contenta, GlobalPost.com, Dec. 16 2009).
That the government’s tepid commitment to Research and Development funding for environmentally-friendly technologies and clean power alternatives sits in stark contrast to the large sums of taxpayer money used to subsidize large oil and traditional energy companies – among the biggest polluters of all (Judith Deutsch, Science for Peace, June 28 2010). Democracy has been missing in action while successive governments have supported narrow corporate interests over the rights that Canadians have repeatedly said are paramount – the right of current and future generations to live in a safe and sustainable environment.
Photograph of the earth from NASA.
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