As I sit here, Hurricane Dorian has just hit the Canadian Maritimes (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick) with 160 km/hr winds, downing hydro poles and trees and removing roofs and flooding homes and businesses. After devastating the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, Dorian continued up the U.S. eastern seaboard leaving further destruction along its path.
Scientists continue to warn us of an increase in particularly violent storms due to the impact of climate change on the oceans and across continents. Can we do something about its impact besides shoring up infrastructure, changing agricultural patterns, reducing carbon emissions, implementing more emergency planning and resources, relocating populations further inland or to safer locations, introducing new technologies, etc., etc.? These are simply stop-gap measures.
Given the lack of global will of governments to seriously tackle the underlying causes contributing to man-made climate change, perhaps this is all one can do! A recent study, by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, shows that about 70 percent of Americans believe that the climate is changing, most acknowledge that this change reflects human activity, and more than two-thirds think it will harm future generations. Yet the same study found that most Americans would support energy-conserving policies only if they cost households less than $200 per year — woefully short of the investment required to keep warming under catastrophic rates. If an identical study involving Canadians were undertaken, it would probably indicate similar results.
Merely paying lip service to and recognizing the impact of climate change is no longer any good. Societies and nations have to act and act now in real and tangible ways. Setting targets for carbon reduction is no longer enough if no real resources are applied and major societal changes take place. Industrialized countries like Canada and the U.S. must help to lead the way. The environment demands it, we all must demand it. The impact of environmental issues will affect all economies. Sustainable plans must immediately be put in place in order to ensure our economic future and that of the planet. People must be convinced in order to recognize and support the necessary measures to effectively deal with this reality. Moreover, we have to walk the talk.
FROLITICKS 