As I sit and read about the increasing prevalence of wildfires in the country and across the province, I am reminded of a viral quote: “Climate change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through phones, with footage getting closer to the viewer’s location until they are the one filming it.”
It is no secret nor surprise that Climate Change will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves. Scientists and those who study the climate have been telling us this for decades.
There has already been 192 wildfires in the province, compared to last year which saw 58.
The unfortunate reality is these are not random nor unexpected events. We continue to push past the ecological limits of our planet maintaining a status quo that will only lead to further human suffering. Extreme heat is predicted to make much of the world much less habitable.
If we continue roughly on track towards more than 3°C of warming we will be well above the 1.5°C limit set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement average.
The 2021 IPCC report was called a “code red for humanity” by UN Chief Antonio Guterres. It portrayed a stark warning about the need to lower CO2 emissions.
Meanwhile political leaders in the country talk about about building new pipelines and LNG terminals as a form of supposed ‘Nation Building’ at a time when we are supposed to be transitioning away and off of existing fossil fuel infrastructure. This is not to mention the bad economics of such a plan inclusive to volatile price swings and dwindling global demand.
Our previous premier said we are “all in on oil and gas,” the PM is calling for “decarbonized barrels of oil” (they don’t exist) and the President of the world’s most powerful country called Climate Change a “hoax.”
If we were really interested in nation building we would invest in an east west electricity grid, public transit, high speed rail. We would be increasing density, decreasing car dependency and suburban sprawl.
If we are serious about addressing Climate Change we’d also stop subsidizing oil and gas.
As a young person who is relatively in the early stages of my life, it is frankly difficult not to have an ever present and intense sense of dread looming.
I often ask myself if I or any future generations will have a liveable future? Should I have kids? Where should I live that will be least impacted? Is there a point in building a future that’s likely to be surrounded by so much suffering?
I also read another quote from Christiana Figueres in The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis which made me a feel a little better. “Anger that sinks into despair is powerless to make a change. Anger that evolves into conviction is unstoppable.” What this is to say that the fight is never futile and checking out, while understandable isn’t an option.
Every tenth of a degree of warming we avoid means a brighter future for us all. So with that said keeping making noise. Push for change. Call your elected officials. Run for office.
Do something, because doing nothing is not an option and we fool ourselves if we pretend we have a choice.