A real embarrassment
The Rob Ford scandal has been garnering immense attention from the Canadian and international press. Meanwhile, the press has failed to give the same attention to the fact that Canada has been internationally condemned as one of the world’s worst polluters. A recent European report, released to coincide with U.N. climate talks, ranked Canada 55 of 58 countries in terms of tackling greenhouse gas emissions. The three countries we beat? Iran, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia. It is perhaps even more troubling to hear that it has been estimated that by 2020, the tar sands will be polluting as much as 140 countries combined.
To say that the Harper government would be performing poorly is an extreme understatement. We can only remain hopeful that one day we can achieve the goal of surpassing Saudi Arabia as a greener country. At the moment things look bleak, as our federal government is fighting to keep the status quo in favour of the oil industry.
The Harper government has been continuing to allow unchecked expansion of the tar sands through increasingly dangerous methods, such as hydraulic fracturing. Recent legislature aimed at emission regulation in Alberta failed due to heavy pressure from oil lobby groups, most notably the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). CAPP is fighting tooth and nail to disallow social responsibility to affect their corrupt business models.
The alarming part is that the battle for oil isn’t only being fought in backrooms and press conferences: a disingenuous endeavor between Canadian Geographic and CAPP would allow them to educate our youth on an oil-industry-spun picture of what Canada’s energy future will look like, with little to no regard for the environment. The ludicrous notion of allowing oil lobbyists to teach our youth about energy is something most Canadians would expect to hear from some crooked Texas congressman – not their own politicians.
A poll by Angus-Reid showed that the majority of Canadians believe in human-caused climate change more than their U.S. or U.K. counterparts. Climate change is internationally proven science, and should not be a matter of personal opinion (as is exemplified by the Australian Conservative government). However, the fact that Canadians support climate change efforts says a lot about how our federal government is choosing to misrepresent the people.
The entire world knows that blatant disregard for the environment can only go on for so long. A shift to a greener world is already well underway, and the fight for real climate change policy and removed dependence on fossil fuels has only just begun. For the first time ever, environmental groups and NGOs walked out of the Warsaw U.N. climate talks, citing frustration, lack of productivity, and the “perceived closeness of governments to industrial lobbies.” These leaders and CEO’s are fighting to keep the present state of affairs that weighs entirely in their favour. These environmental groups have therefore decided that their resources should instead go towards educating the people on how to press their own governments for real change.
Admittedly, this is exactly what I am asking from all of you. Write to your local MP, MPP, mayor, premier, minister, councillor, the office of Stephen Harper, and anybody else who needs to hear the message loud and clear. Show them that we will not take let apathy or greed block progress for resolving one of the greatest challenges of our modern times. It is up to us to take our futures back into our own hands.
The Harper government will not look at one letter from an environmental activist and decide to change their policy and position. However, millions of letters, peaceful demonstrations, press coverage, and acts of environmental civil disobedience (such as the New Brunswick fracking incident) will all contribute positively to a louder and more focused voice. The primitive age of resource exploitation for profit is coming to an end, and the age of sustainability is on the horizon.
We must become facilitators of this transition, and since it seems that our government is ignoring dissent, we must therefore raise our voices unanimously. The issues at hand are simply too important to not become popular culture, and we must all be activists in our own right. While those who benefit from the status quo will build roadblocks, we will inevitably come out triumphant. An old Aboriginal proverb says: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” We have betrayed future generations, and if any reparation is possible, we must commence it now.