Monday, May 30, 2022

We Must Act Without Delay


I am a senior concerned about future generations; i.e., I want them to have a future on a livable planet.

A UN climate report predicts quicker global warming than anticipated.  It is a “code red” for humanity, according to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The Intergovernmental panel on climate change conclusions were clear. We must stop fossil fuel expansion, rapidly phase out the production and burning of fossil fuels, and invest heavily in renewable energy.

Meanwhile in Ontario Doug Ford has:
  • Spent over $230 million to tear up green energy contracts.
  • Ripped out Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations that had been installed at GO Stations.
  • Cut the big energy users electricity bills while shifting those costs to citizens.
  • Cancelled rebates on EVs.
  • Gutted conservation authorities’ ability to protect communities against flooding and erosion.

  • Weakened the Endangered Species Act to promote development.
  • Escalated the use of Ministerial Zoning Orders (MZO’s) to push through development on sensitive ecological lands and 
  • Scrapped the provincial tree-planting program.
 
These are but a few examples of Ford’s lack of understanding of the climate emergency we are facing.  Incredibly, this week he claimed that building more highways was a solution to the crisis.
 
We need to protect wetlands, waterways, forests and other natural ecosystems. We must create adaptation plans that range from climate risk reduction to strengthened income and food security provisions.
 
We must act without delay.