Vote Out Carbon Fatties

The federal election is upon us and I can hardly stand the suspense! Looks like Harper and his carbon obese entourage are stalling in their quest for all mighty five-year-rule. That’s five years of unmitigated carbon binging. Imagine what that will do to your kids' future, and yours.

Coming up from third place is Jack Layton’s NDP, which, thank heavens, knows we need to trim up via a good wholesome diet of energy efficiency and renewable energy development. Now their proposed mechanism on how we get there - cap & trade – needs some work, but at least their hearts are in the right place and they are likely receptive to better ideas. Unlike Harper.

But isn’t Harper a better steward of the economy? Sure – if you like to see the gulf between rich and poor widen, would rather see tar sand development continue to carve out our manufacturing sector, and don’t believe what a growing number of economists are telling us – that the costs of inaction on climate change will far outweigh the costs associated with action.

First step, please vote. If there are young adults in your lives, encourage them to do so as well.

Vote strategically if you live in a swing riding. I know some of you think that doing so is an affront to democracy. Try a Harper majority. The man has been whittling away at our democracy for a few years now. Imagine what he will do in five years of uncontested power?

Here are a few sites to assist you:

AVAAZ - Take Back Democracy
Provides insights into your riding. Just type in your postal code
http://www.avaaz.org/en/canada_elections/?cl=1035687505&v=8938

Catch 22
Targets swing ridings with volunteers on the ground encouraging strategic voting
http://catch22campaign.ca/

Canadians for Coalition
My group! Please sign the open letter to Layton and Ignatieff to consider forming a coalition government or legislative alliance should a minority Conservative government demonstrate yet again an unwillingness to work with the opposition.
www.thepetitionsite.com/13/open-letter-to-michael-ignatieff-and-jack-layton/

www.canadiansforcoalition.ca

Join us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Canadians-for Coalition/108826285865447

Follow us on Twitter - @coalitionnow

Let’s take our democracy back – and build a sustainable economy.

Vote! Don’t Blow it!

Lights Out and Coalition Now!

Earth Hour begins at 8:30pm today! Remember to turn off all lights, power bars and other electronics. Light some candles and enjoy! Jane and I will celebrate at the Library Café at the Royal York Hotel where they turn out the lights every Saturday evening and serenade patrons with live guitar music.

While you are in the dark and with friends, conversation may turn to the upcoming election. I and a few of my friends have started Canadians for Coalition. If the Conservatives win another minority, we want the Liberals and NDP to form a Coalition government.

Visit www.canadiansforcoalition.ca to find out more about coalition government and how you can take action. In the meantime, enjoy this first of several videos we will release in the weeks ahead. It's legal. It works. It's time we tried it.

Our Oily Video on Oil Subsidies

This is the last week to ask Harper and Flaherty to end subsidies to fossil fuel companies, some of which are the largest companies in the world. The budget announcement is next week. There will likely be an election called due to a vote of non-confidence, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to still send home the message.

And to bring home that message we at the Citizens Climate Lobby produced this little video, which touches, ever so lovingly, on the absurdity of government handouts to rich oily companies.

Please call the PM and Finance Minister if you have not already. Dial 866-599-4999 and ask for the PM office or Jim Flaherty, the Finance Minister. Sound scary? It isn’t. All you’ll do is leave a message with a machine or receptionist. Phone calls are taken more seriously than emails. Let them know there are better ways to spend our money.

Unelected Conservative Senators Kill Bill C-311 before debate

In a surprise move, unelected Conservative Senators defeated Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act 43 to 32 without debate and before being sent to committee. The last time something like this happened was 70 years ago.

This demonstrates a profound lack of respect for the will of the majority of elected representatives.This troubling development also sets a dangerous precedent, calling to questions future legislation supported by elected Members of Parliament.

Now in the weeks leading to the climate summit in Cancun, the Canadian government has further demonstrated its disinterest in meaningful action on one of the most pressing problem of our time.

It is important to let our elected MPs, the Prime Minister and the unelected Senate know that this action is not cool. Please contact:

Your MP

The Prime Minister - Harper.S@parl.gc.ca

Leaders of the opposition parties:
Layton.J@parl.gc.ca
Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca
Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca

They can also be reached at 1 (866) 599-4999

Senators

Write letters to the editor. Let citizens know about this dangerous precedent on Facebook and Twitter.

Ask the questions:

• Why did unelected Conservative Senators delay due process on legislation supported by elected representatives?
• Why did they call the surprise vote without debate and committee review, when many opposition Senators were unavailable to vote?
• Why is Prime Minister Stephen Harper stacking the Senate with Conservative Senators, when he made it clear he wants an elected Senate?
• Will unelected Conservative Senators choose this tactic to kill future legislation, supported by elected representatives, that Harper does not like?

Unelected Conservative Senators Block Due Process on Climate Change Bill

In September I urged you to contact Senators to support Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act. The Conservative Senate was to debate the bill and we were to encourage its passage into law.

It’s an important piece of legislation. If passed into law, the Climate Change Accountability Act will set science based emissions reductions, require the government to produce five year target plans, establish independent reviews, and punish polluters who break regulations.

There’s a problem. The critic of the bill, Senator Neufeld, is not debating it. Now part of me thinks that this is just grand, but – it’s stalling the process. The ball is in Neufeld’s court, and yet he is not picking it up.

This is not just a climate issue anymore. It’s a democracy issue. The majority of elected representatives passed the bill in May. The Conservatives are now delaying it indefinitely in the unelected Senate.

The Conservatives are in a tricky situation. The optics are terrible. They don’t want to appear that they are the bad guys when it comes to climate change. Their talk is supportive (their actions are not). Harper also campaigned on government transparency and an elected Senate. Their talk is supportive….

So why are unelected Conservative Senators stalling due process on a bill passed by elected representatives? They are banking on an apathetic public not making noise on a bill that can languish for months on end until perhaps (hopefully they feel) an election is called and the whole thing dies.

Well I tell you, apathy sucks. It’s time we kick it in the ass.

Senator Mitchell, who introduced and is championing the bill, asks everyone to write or call Senators Neufeld and LeBreton (Leader of the Government of the Senate) to urge them to stop stalling the bill. He tells me that our letters matter.

Please write a handwritten letter to the Senators in question. A handwritten letter means you’re serious. You took the time. The issue matters to you. No one writes handwritten letters anymore, except for people who are serious and those who grew up writing handwritten notes and are still happy with their penmanship. I’m sure your penmanship is fine.

Or call them. I’m now calling Senator Neufeld every day after a Senate session devoid of Bill C-311 debate. If you call him, you will have a 99 percent chance of leaving him a message either on a machine or with an actual human being. Tell him you are watching progress on the bill and would like to know why he hasn’t debated it and when he plans to.

Or at least email.

For a sample message, click here - http://www.trunity.net/climateresponse/articles/view/159424/

I have put so much work into this. I’m asking you to take a half hour to a few minutes out of your day. Please contact Senators Neufeld and LeBreton. They cannot get away with ignoring important climate legislation that our elected officials supported. They can’t. The only people who can stop them are us.

Details and updates on the bill can be found on http://www.trunity.net/climateresponse/topics/view/53728/

Thank you for making our democracy a little stronger and for taking a stand on progressive climate action.

Home-Carbon Slim-Home

10/10/10
10/10/10 is just around the corner. Be part of the largest global day of action in history by joining or creating a climate change work party.

Even AVAAZ is getting in on the action.

I’ll be attending the Mushroom Walk & Letter-Writing Campaign near Owen Sound, followed by a family Thanksgiving feast. Special thanks to Margot and Doug Miller for arranging this event.

Results of our Home Energy Audit
We finally received the results of our home energy audit. As you may recall our first audit concluded that our 90-year old house was 43% efficient. The GreenSaver auditor prioritized a series of recommendations to tighten the house. He advised that if we followed the recommendations we could increase our house’s efficiency to 76%.

Well, we did it.

The efficiency rating of our once insulation-free house is now 76. It cost us roughly $40,000 to retrofit our house. Together the federal and provincial governments will cover a quarter of the cost. Our auditor was pleased to report that we are the third client he’s ever had to reach the maximum grant allowance of $10,000.

When I began this blog way back in 2006 I hoped that in my journey to become carbon slim I could eventually slim up the house that Jane and I were about to buy. We’ve come a long way from simply changing the light bulbs to compact fluorescents. The investment to retrofit the house was huge, but worth it.

Jane and I have noticed a big improvement in the comfort of our home. We’ve also seen remarkable savings in our gas bill. I don’t know if it’s due to adjustments in the fixed amounts we pay each month, but our gas company gave us significant credits over the summer. Last year we paid $1258 between January and September. This year, we paid just $397 during the same period. I doubled checked the invoices because I couldn’t believe it. The savings in gas consumed is 279 m3 thus far.

I’m just happy to know we're more carbon slim than ever before.

To follow our home energy audit journey, click here.

Blog Action Day is October 15th – Topic: Water
Next week I’ll take part in Blog Action Day’s spotlight on water.

Join the 10/10/10 Global Work Party, plus Green Halloween with SwapSity

Be part of the largest global movement in history on October 10th. Bill Mckibben, renown author, activist, and founder of 350.org is once more calling for a global communal response to the climate crisis. Last year we mobilized on October 24th. It was considered the largest activist event in history. As of today 5,249 10/10/10 events have been registered online, beating last year’s figure of 5,248. Where our political leaders fail us, citizens of the world are taking action.

In an email sent today to 350.org members, Mckibben writes: “I'm a bit tired, but am feeling completely recharged by today's milestone. It sure is nice to know that this movement is growing bigger all the time.”

Ok, so What’s a 10/10/10 Work Party?
According to the 350.org website, the concept of a work party derives from traditions of various cultures such as the minga in the Andes. All of these cultures have in common the idea of bringing their whole community together for a day of collective work, usually to complete a project that will benefit the whole community. These traditions are often typically followed by a fun event involving food and music to celebrate the big accomplishment. For 10/10/10, folks are invited to join forces with others in their communities to complete a sustainability project that will benefit the community, and help make carbon reduction tangible – and fun – for everyone. People are organizing bicycle workshops, reforestations, solar panel installations, apple pressing and so on.

Jane and I will celebrate Thanksgiving with family near Owen Sound. We’ve been invited to join a 10/10/10 community guided mushroom walk led by a mycologist to learn how to uncover mushrooms – the ones that won’t kill us when we eat them, or do strange and curious things to our minds. I’ll also engage the family in a letter writing campaign to urge Senators to pass Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act. I am hearing from some Liberal Senators that the Conservatives are stalling debate on the Bill.

To Join - To join a 10/10/10 event in your community, click here - http://www.350.org/en/map

Create Your Own Event - Want to create your own 10/10/10 event? Click here for some ideas - http://www.350.org/workparty-ideas. Click here to register your event - http://www.350.org/1010

350.org Wiki – To learn more about taking action in your community, and to share your experiences, visit the 350.org Wiki at http://wiki.350.org/

I’ve just finished the first chapter of Mckibben’s new book Eaarth. I tell you, it’s probably the most sobering piece of news I’ve ever read. We need to work together immediately to reduce our carbon output, and make our communities economically diverse and resilient. The stable climate we’ve depended on during our civilized existence is now dramatically changing and it’s only going to get worse. Oh, and our resources have begun to dwindle. So we either work together, reduce our carbon emissions and strengthen our communities, or we ignore the warning signs and develop no skills to handle the onslaught of food and water shortages, natural disasters and economic crashes as a result of dwindling resources.

Green Halloween with SwapSity
SwapSity is offering a creative way to save money this Halloween season. Instead of shopping for costumes, decorations and accessories, eco-minded individuals can swap for them. Why buy a costume you'll only wear for a few hours when you can trade for a gently-used ensemble that's new to you?

SwapSity has two ways to save money during Halloween. Members can participate in the online swap and post all the adult and kids costumes, pumpkin carving sets and decorations no longer needed and barter for something they really want. On October 2nd, they're also holding a face-to-face swap meet in downtown Toronto to help everyone recycle their Halloween themed items. Parents can bring in their child's outgrown black cat accessories and pick up a superhero costume or trade in tombstone lawn decorations for a new sound effects CD to play during trick-or-treating. Adult costumes and accessories are also barter-worthy. To learn more, visit http://www.swapsity.ca/pages/halloween_2010

Urge Senators to make the Climate Change Accountability Act a reality

Carbon Audit Update
GreenSaver conducted the second audit last week. All went well. Haresh Patel, our auditor, predicts we’ll receive at least $8,000 in government grant money for all the work we did. Haresh noted a few minor leeks in unusual places. I have a wee bit more caulking to do. In the meantime, Jane and I are waiting on Haresh’s report to find out how we did in improving our home’s energy efficiency.

Urge Senators to Pass Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act
This is something I’ve thrown myself into. I’ve put a lot of work into it, so you don’t have to.

Canada is close to passing the Climate Change Accountability Act, but it's under threat by Conservative Senators. Parliamentarians passed the Bill (C-311) in May. Now the Bill needs the support of 53 Senators. Of the 105 Senators, 52 are Conservative.

The situation is precarious. Years of hard work to get the Act to this point could prove meaningless if it does not get the support from all 53 opposition Senators: 49 Liberal Senators, two Progressive Conservatives and two Independents.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is calling on its members to lobby the Senate to oppose the Bill. Join me in a concerted citizen campaign in support of Bill C-311. The Bill resumes debate on September 28th.

What’s the Big Deal? – If passed into law, the Climate Change Accountability Act will set science based emissions reductions, require the government to produce five year target plans, establish independent reviews, and punish polluters who break regulations. It will also position Canada as a global leader in the transition to a low carbon economy.

I heard Dr. James Hansen, one of the world’s top climatologists, speak in Toronto on Wednesday. Dr. Hansen heads NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. He’s been sounding the climate action clarion call for decades. Dr. Hansen reminded us that addressing climate change is a moral issue. The safe level of greenhouse gas parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere is 350. In the past, natural global warming has taken place at a rate of .0001 ppm. Currently, we are experiencing an increase of an astonishing 2 ppm per year. According to Hansen, if we burn all the fossil fuel left on the planet, the greenhouse gases will constitute 1000 ppm in our atmosphere.

What to do - Please visit http://www.trunity.net/climateresponse/topics/view/53728/ for sample letters to Senators and their emails. Just cut and paste. Easy. If you have a bit more time and love strategy, cut and paste the sample letters to the CEOs of insurance companies and financial firms, who are Chamber of Commerce members. The letters ask them to lobby the Senate to support the Bill. I also include contact details. Please send these letters off and spread the word.

On September 28th Senator Neufeld will speak out against the Bill when the Senate resumes debate on it. Let's bombard the Senate with emails. Soon I will craft sample targeted emails to Liberal Senators, PC Senators and the Independents, and upload them onto the Climate Response campaign page.

Also – please join the Facebook page, Urge Senators to Support Bill C-311 - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=152085321489110

Let's insure that the Climate Change Accountability Act becomes law. And when that's done, let's work to usher in a government that respects it.

Writing to People Who Really Should Know Better

Some of you have been asking about my Carbon Slim blog. My apologies for the spotty installments. I’ve been busy writing to Canadian Senators and now, the President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, to stop plotting to kill Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Bill. The Bill is now before the Senate.

To read my exchange with Perrin Beatty, President of the Chamber of Commerce, who is urging industry to lobby the Senate to kill the Bill, visit http://www.trunity.net/climateresponse/blogs/view/149327/?topic=28777

For my correspondence with Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate, visit http://www.trunity.net/climateresponse/blogs/view/147728/?topic=28777

Things are little harry, what with the US Senate not doing a damn thing about climate change, despite 2010 being the hottest year on record. Governments are failing us because, let’s face it, they receive campaign money from big oil and coal, or believe we must hitch our economic wagon to oil and coal extraction.

350.org is mobilizing citizens through its 10.10.10 campaign. If governments won’t act, people will. Time is of the essence. It’s not time to give up. In five years time, if no significant action is taken on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, then god help us all.

Bill Mckibben, who spearheaded 350.org, has this to say about the matter - http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175281/

Carbon Slimming Update

Much is happening on the carbon slim front. I’ve been quite active of late. The following is a quick recap.

Bill C-311
The Climate Change Accountability Bill is now before the Senate, which is dominated by the Conservatives, thanks to Mr. Harper. There is fear that this Bill, which sets science-based greenhouse gas emissions targets, will die before the non-elected Conservative-heavy Senate.

For a sample email or letter to send to Senators and a list of Senator emails click here. Please do send the message. It will take a quick minute of your time.

I sent the letter and received a reply from Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton. Unimpressed with her arguments, I sent her a reply. Click here to read what I wrote to her and her colleagues in the Senate.

The Fake Lake Summit
The G20 is coming to Toronto. You know, that billion dollar attempt to sideline the most important issues of our time and literally build a wall to separate the G-participants from the Toronto community. They are even building a fake lake because heaven forbid any G-20 representative leave the barrier zone to see a real Canadian lake or talk to ordinary folks. Due to mounting international pressure, Harper has finally agreed that the G-folks will likely talk about Climate Change when they meet.

Rather than yell my head off during the G20 Summit, I look forward to engaging in dialogue. This weekend I plan to attend the People’s Summit. For a list of other civic engagement opportunities around the Fake Lake Summit, click here.

Perhaps the best way to protest the astronomical security costs and pressing issues is for folks to stay away from the barrier, and engage in Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods through public theatre, soap box debate – anything to draw attention and encourage dialogue. Can you imagine all these security forces with all their toys with nothing to do? You think the expense looks bad now....

The Gulf Oil Leak
The earth is hemorrhaging oil in the Gulf. Obama has called for criminal litigation into the BP disaster, as well as regulating the industry – finally. BP must pay fully for their crime, if anything to send a strong signal to all corporations that they simply cannot cut corners on public safety and the environment. And of course, the government, representing public interests, must once again regulate industry.

Despite this nightmare in the Gulf, Harper is considering off-shore drilling in the Arctic. The WWF is circulating a petition to halt this drilling until environmental protection is assured. Please sign it. Click here.

Gardening
When I’m not writing to politicians, I’m gardening. This year I created a raised bed garden in an effort to produce greater yields. I dug out soil a spade deep, two feet by four, and laid in composted manure, and then added back the soil. I created about 10 beds in total. The loose fertilized soil encourages deeper root growth, which allows for vegetables to cozy up closer together. I was very late in preparing and seeding my garden this year. The veggies are growing, but are still fairly young. I just spent the last few days thinning out the beets, carrots and onions. It’s time labored work, but well worth it, especially when the dove coos while I garden.

Solar Hot Water Heater
GreenSaver is assessing the best place for the solar hot water heater on our roof. They may need to build a base to place the system so that it lies flat on our peaked roof. I’ll find out in a week their recommendations.

Good News amongst the Rotten

Let’s face it. The news of late has been anything but uplifting. And while the Gulf Coast braces for the worst oil catastrophe in US history, I’m learning that more environmental nightmares are unfolding or are bound to happen if our governments continue to place industrial interests before environmental protection and public safety.

I’ve spent my week at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto where I’m learning about how the US (and Canadian) governments are doing little to stop gas companies from seriously contaminating wells and rivers with natural gas and carcinogenic chemicals in their drilling practices (Gasland), and how Finland is the only country working on a ‘safe’ repository for its spent nuclear fuel (Into Eternity). Spent nuclear fuel remains radioactive for at least 100,000 years, likely more. Environmental protection laws get in the way of the bottom line which is why the current oil leak comes as no surprise. Scroll down below for the movie trailers. In Gasland, people can actually light fire to the contaminated water from their faucets.

But the good news. They did it!!

On May 5th, the majority of elected Canadian representatives voted in favour of Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Bill, for the final time. It was a close one. The vote was 149 to 136. Now it faces a Conservative Senate and three more readings before it becomes law. This may be tough. We’re not out of the woods yet. Next round will be about contacting senators to ask them to vote for the Bill. You know, the one supported by the majority of elected representatives.

What’s the Big Deal? – The Act will commit Canada to science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets. We absolutely cannot go beyond a two degree increase in greenhouse gases if we want to avoid runaway global warming, which could hit towards the end of this century. The Act will also mandate that the government set regulations to ensure they meet targets, including publicizing five year target plans and establishing independent reviews, and punish polluters who break regulations. It’ll make it much easier for all of us to go Carbon Slim!

“It is a great day for Canada as we finally have a blueprint for greening our future,” said New Democrat Leader Jack Layton. “We would not be here without the thousands of Canadians who called and wrote to their Members of Parliament, pushing them to finally adopt meaningful climate-change legislation.”

That’s you! A big thanks to everyone who contacted their MPs to support the Bill. Please do send them a follow up thank you email or letter, which they most rightly deserve (if they voted for it).




Gasland – the Movie Trailer



Into Eternity – the Movie Trailer

Climate Change Accountability Bill is Alive and Kicking

Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Bill, is moving on to third reading and final debate thanks to the vote in the House of Commons today. The motion to do so carried 155 in favour and 137 against. Jim Prentice, the Environment Minister, was one of 137 Conservative members who tried to prevent the Bill from moving on to the final stage.

Once the Bill becomes the Climate Change Accountability Act, Canada will have to observe science-based greenhouse gas emissions targets, and get serious about transitioning to a low carbon economy.

Thanks to those of you who wrote to your Member of Parliament. You were part of a concentrated effort nationwide to ensure MPs, particularly those from the Liberal Party, show up for the vote. For a list of those who voted in favour and those against, click here.

MPs really do like to hear from you. Words of thanks are always welcome. Remember to thank your MP for voting in favour of this important Bill: http://www.parl.gc.ca/Common/index.asp?Language=E

Fasting for the Future

Copenhagen. Heaven only knows what deal world leaders are going to pull out of their hats on Friday when they wrap up the Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Negotiations up until now have been in shambles and protests are raging in the streets. Canada’s squeaky clean image is tarnished with tar sands muck, and leaked Cabinet documents inform us that Canada is considering giving oil and gas companies a bigger break on greenhouse gas emissions than originally planned.

It’s bleak out there, but the night is always the darkest right before dawn.

Answering a call by 350.org, Jane and I are joining thousands in a world-wide fast on Thursday, in solidarity with those fasting in Copenhagen. We urge leaders to take a moral stand on climate change and to chart a sustainable future for our children. A 24-hour fast will be a first for me. Follow my experience at: http://twitter.com/CarbonSlim

Pressure is mounting for a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty. A legally binding document will not take shape this Friday, but some significant direction could very well. Too much is at stake. Too too much. There is much that you can do.

Sign the AVAAZ petition www.avaaz.org/en/harper_enough_is_enough

Join the fast – www.350.org/fast. Before you do, read the medical information on fasting.

If you can, visit your federal representative’s office to let them know that you are fasting for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty on climate change. At least call and tell them.

Whether fasting is in the cards or not for you, you can do something ridiculously easy and effective. Call - that’s right - call the Prime Minister (if you’re in the US, call your Congressperson). Tell the person fielding the calls:

• Your name and where you live.
• That you want your government to commit to science-based emissions targets, and to take a lead on climate change.
• You want your country to transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. This will not only clean the air, it will diversify our economy and create a plethora of green-collar jobs.

This is how easy calling the PM is:



Keep up the pressure!

In the News

A Call For Compromise At The Copenhagen Summit

Poor And Emerging States Stall Climate Negotiations

My Organic Tree and Copenhagen Vigils

If you live in Toronto and are planning to bring a tree into your home for the holidays, the Canadian Tire location at Danforth and Main is selling organic Christmas trees from a tree farm in Eastern Quebec. Jane and I picked up our tree this weekend. You can also pick up unique fair trade decorations at Ten Thousand Villages.

For more on the eco footprint of Christmas Trees, click here.

Copenhagen
It’s very serious. But for a humorous overview of the climate talks in Copenhagen taking place right now, click here.

AVAAZ is helping to orchestrate candlelight vigils around the world on Saturday evening. Bring your kids. Be part of history. Help push our society toward sustainability. There are 300 vigils in Canada so far. Jane and I will be at the vigil at Queen’s Park in Toronto, starting at 7pm. Join me if you can. Click here to find a vigil close to you.

Are you a mom? (Or Dad?) Moms Against Climate Change are posting photos of their kids to drive home the message to Stephen Harper: Don’t play chicken with their future. On Thursday, December 10th, at 4:30pm local time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be sent a striking message. The faces of more than 1,600 children will be projected onto the sides of buildings in Ottawa and Vancouver with this simple reminder, “Stephen Harper: Remember who you’re representing in Copenhagen”. Click here to post your photos before Thursday afternoon.

In the News

Star joins global climate crusade
Toronto Star joins 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial.

Toronto Star Blog in Copenhagen
Canada ties first place with Croatia on Fossil of the Day award.

Guardian UK Covers Copenhagen

My Climate Correspondence with Prentice

This past summer I was so appalled by the government's inaction on climate change, I sent Jim Prentice, the Minister of the Environment, a message. Surely he must not understand the danger? Why else be so ineffective on climate change? His staff person's reply troubled me so much, I wrote back. The following is the correspondence we had.

Sent June 6, 2009

Dear Minister Prentice,

I was shocked to hear that Mr. Michael Martin, Canada’s lead negotiator on climate change, confirmed that Canada will not negotiate domestic targets. As you know the targets set by your government are well below those set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to mitigate run-away global warming.

Does the government of Canada not understand the danger that human-produced greenhouse gases pose on our biosphere?

I am following the UN climate talks with great interest. I want Canada to join the rest of first world nations in committing to the targets set by the IPCC.

To assume that effectively tackling climate change will hurt the economy is short-sighted. Canada has the potential to be an economic powerhouse through green energy development and production. We need to transition from non-renewable energy to renewables – immediately. By shirking Canada’s duty to mitigate climate change demonstrates to me that you must not understand the full ramifications of the dangers we face. I don’t know about you, but when 90 percent of the scientific community that studies climate change warns of unprecedented devastation if we do not curtail greenhouse gases now, I tend to listen.

It pains me that Canada, which has a reputation for doing the right thing, is selfishly committing to targets that will hurt our children. And it’s them and their children who will experience the brunt of climate chaos. What type of people would do such a thing to their children?

Surly not Canadians and certainly not you. Which makes me wonder, do you really believe what the scientific community is telling you? I am absolutely dumbfounded by the Canadian government’s response to the very strongly-worded advice of the IPCC. Why does it choose to stall progress on the most pressing problem of our time? Is Canada so addicted to the oil sands that it is willing to put the world in danger? As Minister of the Environment during this critical time in human history, is this the legacy you want to leave?

Please reconsider Canada’s position on its domestic targets. To do otherwise will be deeply regrettable for all.

Sincerely,
Cheryl McNamara

September 10, 2009

David McGovern, Assistant Deputy Minister, International Affairs Branch, replied to my email. Click here to read the letter.

September 22, 2009

Dear Mr. McGovern and Minister Prentice,

Thank you for your letter, dated Sept 10th, to my email from June 16th in which I expressed deep concern that Canada’s domestic targets on greenhouse gas emissions fall well below targets set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

I am writing to express disappointment in your response and to challenge the logic expressed in your letter.

I do understand that Canada is committed to addressing the global challenge on climate change. The problem is that the targets that you have set do not follow the science. If the world followed Canada’s lead, global temperatures will exceed 2 degrees Celsius above pre-Industrial levels. As you note, this must not happen according to the broad scientific view. If it were to happen, feedback loops would kick in, rapidly accelerating global temperatures to dangerous levels. This would commit countless species to extinction and place our own species in peril.

With this danger in mind and recognizing the broad scientific view that the global average temperature must not exceed 2 degrees Celsius, why does Canada still commit to targets that scientist tell us are far below what is required to prevent runaway global warming?

In your letter you state: “We are developing a Canadian approach that makes sense for our circumstances, and we are working closely with provinces and stakeholders to finalize that approach.” “Our circumstances” is of course a euphemism for the tar sands.

Wayne Gretsky famously said that the secret to his success was skating to where the puck is going, not where it is. It’s a great metaphor. I feel that with your commitment to the tar sands, Canada is neither going to where the puck’s heading nor where it is. It’s going backwards. And no investment in green technology will right that wrong. You know this. Otherwise you’d be committed to the science-based reduction targets.

As you point out, other G8 leaders, including those rich in coal deposits, are willing to commit to such targets (80 percent or more by 2050 compared to 1990 levels). Keep in mind that the threshold date is 1990 and not “or more recent years” that you state in your letter.

To believe that Canada is somehow magically exempt from targets to which countries such as the US, UK, Germany and others are committing is naïve. Do you honestly believe that Canada will get away with this? What implications will Canada’s carbon heavy economy have in trade relations? Will Canada have to pay high tariffs for its dirty oil sands and the process of tearing up the Boreal forest to do so? How about importers of our oil, such as China? Will they be dinged too for choosing dirty oil? Canada is evangelical when it comes to free trade but expects an exemption when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. I don’t think the world will let us have our cake and eat it too.

And why are you so certain that the majority of Canadians are committed to your 2006 targets? As you are well aware, Bill C-311 is in second reading. If passed, the Act would require whoever is in government to set science-based targets to fight global warming, and the government would have to implement a credible plan to meet those targets.

You claim to be working with provinces and stakeholders on your “Canadian approach”, yet isn’t the true Canadian approach currently unfolding in Parliament? I am puzzled that you did not mention the democratic process now underway, which will determine Canada’s direction on climate change policy.

The goal of “ensuring that 90 percent of Canada’s electricity needs be provided by non-emitting sources by 2020” is excellent and to be applauded. I also strongly support your EcoEnergy program, of which, as a homeowner, I am a participant. My spouse and I just installed EnergyStar rated windows and doors, as well as insulation in our 90 year old home. We’re also installing a high efficiency furnace. The work we’re doing will increase the efficiency of our home by 65 percent.

I am concerned, though, about your support for biofuels. Given the amount of fossil fuel required in biofuel production and the market incentive for farmers to grow corn for fuel rather than food, biofuels are neither non-emitting nor humane. Should people starve so others drive?

It is better to invest in public transit rather than biofuels. If all levels of government back state-of-the-art transit that is extensive, fast, affordable and reliable, you’ll find that a great many urban Canadians will chose public transit over being stuck in traffic.

The world must transition away from the carbon economy to one that is sustainable. If Canada commits to the oil sands, it commits to an unsustainable future. The very fact that Canada wants to tear into the Boreal forest, one of the world’s last remaining ‘lungs’, to get at the dregs of the fossil economy is not just foolish. It’s tantamount to suicide.

Canada must fully commit to transitioning to the green economy. We have the talent and resources to do so. We must commit to a 25 to 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gases based on 1990 levels by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050.

Sincerely,
Cheryl McNamara

C-Day Rally Draws Thousands for Climate Action

On October 24, thousands of Canadians joined together on Parliament Hill to call for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty on climate change. We were part of an international effort, facilitated by 350.org, which saw hundreds of thousands of global citizens engage in more than 4,000 climate rallies worldwide.





Our rally came on the heels of some dispiriting news from Canada's Environment Minister, who stated that global representatives will likely not decide on a binding climate treaty this year - Ottawa dashes hope for climate treaty in Copenhagen

Tzeporah Berman, Executive Director of PowerUP Canada and Co-Founder of Forest Ethics, spoke at the C-Day rally. She started her speach by citing this news report, calling our government's inaction on climate change a scandal. How can any government - anyone - know of the danger of runaway global warming but elect to do very little about it? Too much is at stake with so much opportunity. Tzeporah devoted much of her speach to this opportunity and to the dream to turn our country around.




There is still time. Leaders meet in Copenhagen this December. Sign the KYOTOplus petition and write to your MP and Minister of the Environment. You can do all that by visiting http://www.kyotoplus.ca/

C-Day: Fill the Hill. Help make climate change history

I am helping to organize Canada’s largest climate action rally this Saturday from noon to 4pm. The days leading up to the campaign have been exhausting and exhilarating. Well worth the effort! Thousands are heeding the call and making the trek to Ottawa via carpooling and charted bus. Jane and I are going up in a Toyota Prius thanks to AutoShare, taking with us Gracen Johnson, the Founder of C-Day, and Hilary Best, our publicist.

What’s the big deal? – World leaders are convening in Copenhagen this December to decide on the future of our species. They will set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Will these targets meet those set by scientists to stave off runaway global warming? The Canadian government’s targets fall far short of what is required.

The stakes are incredibly high. That’s why 350.org is assembling thousands of events worldwide that day, asking all leaders for a fair, binding and ambitious treaty in Copenhagen.

What you can do

Join us on the Hill
If you can join us on Parliament Hill on Saturday, great! Click the following for C-Day: Fill the Hill Program of Activities

Join one of thousands of events happening Saturday
Simply visit www.350.org to find a climate action rally in your community.

Sign KYOTOplus and Fill Politicians’ Email Boxes
This is critical. If there is only one thing you can do, communicate to your elected representatives your desire for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty in Copenhagen. It will take you only seconds to do.

KYOTOplus has made it easier for us to do so. There are two steps:

1. Please sign the KYOTOplus petition if you have not done so already and then ask your friends and family to do so.
Sign the Petition

2. Ask your MP to support KYOTOplus by taking the Pledge, which calls on Canada to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020. International climate scientists say cuts of at least 25 per cent are needed NOW.

Click here to find out if your MP has taken the pledge. If so, thank them. If not, ask them to do so.

Want to do more?
Interested in writing a letter to your MP, the Minister of the Environment and/or the Prime Minister, visit Writing to Elected Officials 101 for helpful tips.

Blog Action Day - Climate Action: There’s Still Time

We human beings are about to make the most critical decision we’ve ever made. No, this is not a promotion for some product that will make our hair less frizzy.

World representatives and leaders are meeting in Copenhagen this December to chart course on how best to dodge a bullet. More than 95 percent of climatologists and biologists who study climate change are very clear. If we don’t drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions we will commit our biosphere to runaway global warming.

How bad is runaway global warming? Imagine the torturous demise of our biosphere and you’ll get a pretty good idea. Species that can’t tolerate even the slightest change in their climate will die off, as will the species that depend on them for their survival and so on right up the food chain. Coastal flooding and other frequent natural disasters, and the mass migration they will instigate, will be the least of our worries. Viruses and parasites will flourish. Disease and death will be widespread.

This is depressing. It could be far worse. Imagine the following:

It’s 2020. The world is not on target to meet emissions targets that scientists warn will stave off runaway global warming. World reps signed off on a watered down treaty in Copenhagen way back in 2009. By now killer weather-related disasters are more frequent, parts of Africa are uninhabitable, and the pine beetle has devastated great swaths of the Boreal forest, as have oil companies to get at the tar sands. The summer arctic ice is now gone, glacial ice that millions depend on for their water supply is quickly disappearing and country-size chunks of ice are breaking off of Greenland and the Antarctic and melting into the ocean. The global fishing industry is on the point of collapse.

It’s only going to get worse. And you know it. What do you tell your kids? There is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it. It’s too late.

It’s 2009. There’s still time.

Fight for this. Fight hard. Give it all you’ve got. You are living on planet earth during the most critical time in human history. World leaders are meeting in Copenhagen this December to set a course. What will it be? Commitment to developing a green and sustainable economy or more investment in the carbon economy? ‘Growth’ at all costs?

Thousands of us are converging on Parliament Hill on October 24th for C-Day: Fill the Hill, Canada’s largest rally on climate action and one of 1700 events coordinated by 350.org that day. Join us. Be one of hundreds of thousands of citizens worldwide who are sending a clear message to their leaders. We want fair, binding and ambitious targets on greenhouse gas emissions. Write to your MP. Sign the KYOTOplus petition. For more visit www.climateday.ca.

Part of Blog Action Day - www.blogactionday.org

Blog Action Day - Your Descendants Will be Green with Envy

We live in extraordinary times. World representatives and leaders are preparing to meet in Copenhagen this December to chart a course that will dramatically affect the trajectory of our species.

If this claim seems exaggerated to you, consider that it is supported by more than 95 percent of the scientific community that studies climate change. It doesn’t get more conservative than a body of scientists who study and test and analyze and test some more until they come to a consensus.

And what is their consensus? World governments must commit to significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in order to stave of global warming and the subsequent breakdown of our biosphere.

For some, it’s difficult not to feel depressed when faced with such a momentous challenge.

For others, it’s difficult not to feel emboldened.

Do you recall the St. Crispen’s Day speech in Shakespeare’s Henry V, when the King inspires his terrified army to rise up and defeat the French despite the disparity in their numbers? It doesn’t matter, he argues, that the odds are staked up against them. Their descendents and contemporaries will kick themselves for not being there on that day when the English army defied the odds through their sheer will.

It’s the spirit of the speech, and not the warmongering part, that I apply to our times. Some wish to avoid danger by escaping to blissful self-induced ignorance.

For the rest of us, we live in inspired times. Our generation will steer our species away from climate catastrophe and establish the foundation of sustainable societies. Our children and their descendants will look back on us with awe and wish that they themselves were alive on this day in 2009 to be part of the global movement taking shape in communities of every country on this planet.

Consider the global movement that is 350.org. To date, more than 1700 rallies worldwide are planned for October 24. One of the largest will be in front of your federal legislature. Join us on Parliament Hill that day and help make climate change history. C-Day: Fill the Hill (www.climateday.ca) will see thousands of Canadians convene to make sure our government sets the right course, the one where our descendants celebrate us.

Earn bragging rights. Tell your grand kids that you helped convince the government to commit to science-based targets on greenhouse gas emissions. Tell them you were part on the forefront of the new sustainable economy. Your grand kids will be green with envy.

Part of Blog Action Day - www.blogactionday.org

Pumped Full of Insulation

Our home is dusty. Our cats are recovering. Our house is pumped full of insulation. Green$aver spent three days filling our walls with cellulose and crawling into our teeny attic space to lay down insulation, leaving in their wake hose and crawl size patches in our walls.

Now we have to paint. Happily we’ll paint just the walls that were affected, however now we have an opportunity to change our colour scheme in the hall and upstairs rooms, something we’ve wanted to do for some time.

We plan to visit Farrel & Ball, which provides clay-base and low VOC paint.

It’s a lot of work and a bit discombobulating but well worth it. Our 90-year old house, which up until now had very little attic insulation and nothing in the walls, will do a much better job in keeping in the heat, as will the new Energy-Star rated windows and doors we recently had installed. Green$aver helped us get the R composite insulating value for the walls up to R-12 and the attic up to R-50.

Isaac, one of the guys who got to know our attic very well, gave us insulating pads to place around the electrical outlets. We’ll be doing that, securing them with a bit of caulking, and covering unused outlets with childproof plugs. I’ll also go around and caulk areas such as baseboards that I missed last year. I’ll wait for a windy day to do so, finding the drafty areas with an incense burner.

In the News

I took part in AVAAZ's Global Wake Up Call on climate change on September 21, representing C-Day: Fill the Hill. A sizable group of us engaged in a flashmob at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square demanding a fair and binding treaty on climate change, based on science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets.

I wrote about it on the C-Day blog – The Age of Stupid or The Age of the Green Transition?

We were among hundreds of thousands of people world-wide, calling for the same thing.