We have one planet, not much time

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/03/2023 (918 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s latest Summary for Policy Makers doesn’t really tell us anything new. It is shorter and more focused, however, distilling the IPCC 6 report down into fewer words to make the situation much clearer.

The numbers are inexorable: we need a 45 per cent drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 if we are to keep the global temperature increase to 1.5 C. Worse, those emissions have already risen far past the 2010 baseline the IPCC has been using for its calculations.

In other words, despite the increasingly blunt and dire warnings from the IPCC, governments have done nothing substantive to change the planet’s trajectory to climate disaster. Even at 1.5 degrees of warming, the resulting heat, drought and fierce storms will make the situations of many people desperate.

If global temperatures go higher — and some say our emissions right now mean a 6 C degree rise — this will turn heavily populated areas into places where humans simply can’t live, perhaps as soon as 2050.

The science is clear; the numbers are grim. What we need to do is obvious.

Still, politicians (at all levels and in all places) dither and distract. The Winnipeg city council just passed a budget where the effects of climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are barely mentioned.

Provincially, in seven years, the Pallister/Stefanson government has cycled through five cabinet minsters responsible for environment or climate issues. The malign influence of the premier’s office has been evident throughout.

After wide consultations under minister Cathy Cox, the premier’s office substituted results from a laughable online survey to generate in 2017 (under Rochelle Squires) the Manitoba Climate and Green Plan (that architectural nightmare of keystones and pillars).

After the environmental NGOs didn’t enthusiastically jump on the PC bandwagon in support, the premier’s office tried to cut off their funding. Thankfully, this was resisted by Squires, who was then quickly replaced by Sarah Guillemard, who went on to set a new ministerial record for paralysis and inaction.

Succeeded then by Jeff Wharton (who was invisible for a year, apart from rolling back the cosmetic pesticide ban), the fifth minister is now rookie Kevin Klein. This demonstrates how little importance Premier Heather Stefanson attaches to environmental concerns, regardless of IPCC reports.

Federally, the Liberal government has been playing pickleball with the planet. No sooner has it been hit in the right direction (Steven Guillebeault, our first activist in the portfolio), than it is hit back (new oil and gas operations in Newfoundland/Labrador). And we still continue to borrow billions to build the Pipeline to Nowhere, further developing the Alberta tar sands that, by themselves, contain enough carbon to end global civilization as we know it.

When you consider the Liberals are (comparatively) more proactive on the environment than the Conservatives, you realize that, as Canadians, we are in serious trouble as the 2030 emissions deadline approaches. Mother Nature doesn’t care about our planning priorities or our financial reports. Nor is she persuaded by political rhetoric.

Fortunately, people are not waiting for governments to grow up and show up. Across the country, and around the world, people are starting to take matters into their own (non-violent) hands. Expect to see more protests, marches and other civil actions to drive home the point that we are all in this together.

The fossil fuel divestment movement, begun by 350.org in 2008, has already resulted in more than $40 trillion being invested somewhere else. Any bank (or any industry) investing in new fossil fuel developments right now is intending to make their future profits on the death of your children and grandchildren. Ask yourself: do you really want your money, or your work, to support them?

In a climate-changing world, there is a fine line between ecocide and genocide. With 70 per cent of global emissions coming from a handful of corporations — aided by governments that are at least ineffectual if not corrupt — we can literally point our fingers at the villains in our climate story.

There are other places to keep your money, other places to work. Buy local, if you have to buy at all. Strengthen local communities with your time, your energy and your resources, building resilience toward what (right now) is setting up to be a grim future. Very soon, we will need all our neighbours; support them, and they will support you.

One Earth. All we have. All there is.

Peter Denton is an activist, writer and teacher, based in rural Manitoba.