SPRING INTO ACTION FOR THE CLIMATE
- April 22nd - Earth Day
- "Climate Change is the Critical Issue of our Time"
- The 365 Day Rolling Fast for the Climate
- Act on Climate in Quebec City
- Action on Climate! Lobby Your MP
What will you be doing for Earth Day, for a safe climate future? Are you able to come to Ottawa to lobby your MP, along with others from Climate Fast? . We will be seeing members of the different federal parties to encourage the leaders to sign the Climate Fast pledge. If you are able to take some time that week to lobby we will set up the meeting. Please contact Lyn Adamson lyn.adamson9@gmail.com by April 8th. We will arrange shared accommodation in Ottawa Can you arrange a letter writing bee in your community? Invite your family and friends! Ask us for resources - climatefast@climatefast.ca
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“Climate Change is the Critical Issue of our Time” by Frances Deverell
So says Glen Murray, Minister of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. (Ontario consultation process) In the short term we have to set and achieve aggressive targets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions if we want to avoid the projected 4 degree (some say up to 6 degrees) of warming we expect by the end of the century if we keep doing things as we are. “A four degree increase in the mean temperature of our planet will have catastrophic consequences” says Minister Murray.” They are taking the challenges seriously. In the consultation I attended, they made it clear that they accept the science and did not allow us to be sidetracked by climate change deniers. Ontario took its first big giant step by shutting down coal-burning power plants.
In the long term Murray says Ontario has to transform every aspect of its economy to compete successfully in a new low-to-no carbon fuel economy. The transportation sector must be moved to low or no carbon emissions. (Trucks, trains, cars, buses, agricultural vehicles.) The vision is “to build strong carbon-neutral communities, infrastructure, and energy. “ Minister Murray anticipates that with the new science, technology, products and services in every major sector of our economy this initiative holds the possibility of trillions of dollars of new economic growth and high quality jobs.
The Ontario Government asked for input from all Ontarians and all Canadians on good ideas that could move us in this direction. The Ontario Discussion Paper promises that Ontario will be action-oriented; offer strong leadership; will be open to learning from best practices with evidenced-based decisions; supporting significant new technology development; and will integrate economic and environmental policy rather than assuming they are opposed. They promise to be collaborative, market-based, and to do continuous risk assessment and accountability reporting.
Finally a significant government in Canada is putting climate change on the table for public input and discussion. Finally we are going to talk about solutions and action instead of keeping our heads buried in the sand. KUDOS to the Wynne government for taking on this critical issue and inviting the people to join her in the solutions.
Now we all have to get behind her and make it work. There will always be pressures from industry, other provinces, and the Federal government for her to backtrack on these commitments. Alberta won’t like this. Our work to raise public awareness and demand change is more important than ever. April 1st is Climate First on the First of the month. April 22nd is earth day. Let’s make April the month to hold an event, and invite friends, family, or your community association to write letters for the climate. (Sample letter)
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The 365 Day Rolling Fast for the Climate
as part of the international Fast for the Climate by Rita Bijons
The international Fast for the Climate, fastfortheclimate.org includes fasters from 92 countries.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Haiti.
North America
United States of America, Canada.
The Pacific
The Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Australia.
Asia
Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Qatar, Armenia, Georgia, Lebanon, Palestine.
Africa
South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Niger, Algeria, Egypt.
Europe
Portugal, Spain, Italy, Albania, Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland.
Since COP 20 in Lima, and in an unbroken chain leading to COP21 in Paris, fasters participating in the special 365 Day Rolling Fast for the Climate have been and will be fasting starting in Latin America and the Caribbean, then North America, the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and, finally, Europe. To find out more about fasters, visit: https://www.facebook.com/fastfortheclimate
On March 30th, 2015, Bill McKibben, author, environmentalist, activist, recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, is taking part in the 365-day Rolling #Fastfortheclimate.
In 1988 he wrote The End of Nature, the first book for a common audience about global warming. He is a co-founder and Senior Advisor at 350.org, an international climate campaign that works in 188 countries around the world.
"Scientists tell us that from this point on, each degree increase in global average temperature should cut grain yields 10%. Food is not only necessary, it's one of the planet's great blessings, to be shared in communion with each other. But on this occasion it's good, for a day or two, to taste a little of the hunger so many will have to endure if we don't make change fast."
Hear why Bill McKibben is fasting on March 30th.
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Act on Climate in Quebec City - April 11th, 2015 by Amelia Rose Khan
In just under two weeks there's going to be a monumental climate rally in Quebec City: It's time to Act on Climate!
After marching in or missing the People's Climate March last fall, this is your chance to make it to what will hopefully be the biggest climate rally in Canada!
In Toronto, groups are working with Environmental Defence, and I’m glad to say that buses have now been arranged. Tickets are available for $95 return, or just $25 for low-income, students and seniors.
For people who are not close to Toronto, please look at the transportation on the Act on Climate website for lists of buses and other ways to get to the march / rally in Quebec City.
Also, accommodation is available in Quebec City for just $5/night. How great is that! :)
A good protest ends in a good party!
If you're going all this way for a rally, you might as well stay for a great party. The very cool local team in Quebec are hard at work organizing an evening of live music and dance to blow off some steam, meet new friends, and celebrate changing the world.
The variety show will be taking place at the elegant Le Capitole Theatre, next to Parliament. There'll be a lineup of excellent Canadian and Indigenous artists, both from within and outside Quebec. Hint: Sarah Harmer has been confirmed as a guest performer!
More details on the party and tickets will become available at act-on-climate.ca.
I really hope you can make it. If you want to go, make sure to please buy your ticket as soon as possible—if there are enough people, there will be more buses, but this can only be done once people have already booked. So help us by booking today, and the groups involved will help you by putting on more buses, allowing this rally to have the biggest impact possible! There is a lot of work to do to put Canada on a path to climate sanity...
Onwards!
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ACTION ON CLIMATE! LOBBY YOUR MP
On March 21st 35 Ontario residents came together for a training in how to lobby their MPP. The training was presented by Citizens Climate Lobby. We also worked on our submissions to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change consultation. For more info on training for lobbying, contact lyn.adamson9@gmail.com.