It’s Getting Hot In Here

There are just over three weeks to Copenhagen and the term “boy-scout” has come up several times. “We’re always the Boy Scout in the room,” said Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade. Days earlier, Jim Prentice “wants the world to know he’ll be no Boy Scout when crucial climate-change talks convene in Copenhagen a month from now.”

Who ever thought of Canada as a boy scout? Boy scouts cooperate, right? Boy scouts respect others, right? Boy scouts do not go to international negotiations to repeatedly stand in the way of international cooperation only to receive a colossal fossil award…right?

If the Canadian government was a boy scout, a number of events in the past months would have unfolded a little differently:

• A gathering of 3000 people on Parliament Hill for International Day for Climate Action would have made politicians say: “Oh, I think Canadian civil society wants action on climate change.”
• Disruptions in the House of Commons, where youth told their MPs that they MUST ratify the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and pass Bill C-311, would not have turned into allegations about fake blood and NDP stunts. Instead, the many media hits regarding “Parliamentary protests” would have outlined the issues that the youth were really addressing and would have made politicians say: “Oh, I think Canadian civil society wants action on climate change.”
• The many phone calls and emails that politicians (especially Stephen Harper, Jim Prentice, members of the Environment Committee, and Michael Ignatieff) are receiving on Mondays as part of the Climate Crew Monday/Its Time to Listen campaign would have made politicians say: “Oh, I think Canadian civil society wants action on climate change.”
• The recent Climate Change Report released by the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, which showed that it is economically possible and viable to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take action on climate change would not have been called “irresponsible,” by the Minister of the Environment—the one minister whose job it is to care about these issues. If the Canadian government was a boy scout they would have said: “Oh, Canada CAN take action on climate change.”

But Canada is not a boy scout. Instead, Canada has a very impressive marketing campaign that has created this idyllic image of Canada and Canadians. Many people all over the world think that Canada is this socialist country with beautiful forests, tons of fresh water, and free health care.

Sure…we’ve got some forests. But these forests are being destroyed. The pine beetle is surviving warmer and shorter winters and is taking over western forests. An area in the Boreal Forest the size of England has been clear-cut to make way for the Alberta Oil Industry which is the main reason Canada does not want to commit to any legally-binding emission reduction targets in Copenhagen. The oil produced from this area releases about 3 times more greenhouse gas emissions than does conventionally produced oil. A boy scout would not stand for this.

This oil industry is also using and destroying our fresh water resources. Water is diverted from lakes and rivers in order to process the tar-like substance that is extracted from the ground beneath the Boreal Forest. It takes 2-4 barrels of freshwater to produce a single barrel of tar sands oil, over 70% of which is then exported to the USA. We are virtually exporting our fresh water, but not in a form that is usable for human consumption. Water that is not exported may be reintroduced in the water cycle—contaminated and carcinogenic. Downstream communities are suffering from increased cancer rates and cardiovascular diseases. A boy scout would not stand for this.

With all of these human health impacts, Canada´s free health care may require much more time, energy, and human resources. This free health care may end up costing a lot if:

• Asthma rates keep increasing due to degraded air quality.
• Cancer rates and cardiovascular diseases keep increasing due to degraded water systems (drinking water and water reservoirs commonly used as sources of fish)
• Communities on water-boiling advisories run out of energy to boil their water (because all of the energy will either be used up or exported, and no one had the foresight to invest in clean, renewable energy sources) and thus suffer from other health affects brought on by contaminated water.

The Canadian government is allowing corporations to continue and expand destructive extractive industries, and is also providing a health care system that may soon do little more than damage control? A boy scout would not stand for this.

Heck…I´m no boy scout, and I don’t stand for this. No one should stand for this.

When Canadian citizens are meeting with their MPs asking them to commit to science-based emission reduction targets and alluding to their fears that a legally-binding treaty will not be made in Copenhagen—what do you hear? Do you hear anything?

If the Canadian government was replaced with a boy scout you would hear something along the lines of:

“In Copenhagen, Canada needs to be a climate leader, not a climate laggard. Canada needs to commit to IPCC targets of at least 25% greenhouse gas emission reductions below 1990 levels by the year 2020. Canada needs to pass Bill C-311 and establish a just climate policy that respects the rights and traditions of all people. Canada needs to do what it is currently not.”

Instead, Canada is pointing the finger at other countries. “China needs to do this–” or “India needs to do that–” But Minister Prentice, this isn’t about what other countries need to do. This is about what everyone needs to do…and everyone includes Canada. Canadian citizens know what YOU and the Canadian government need to do, and we are clearly asking you to do it. Boy scouts listen. Some of us feel that we have never been listened to.

Dear Prentice:

You may want to play the tough guy in Copenhagen, but it is just not your place to do so. Learn how to be a boy scout.

Sincerely,

Maryam Adrangi
A concerned global citizen