There is a climate emergency…

There is a climate emergency, and we need to quickly curb CO2 emissions and find mechanisms to absorb them if we are to halt the increase in severe climate events we have been experiencing as a result of global warming. Societal collapse will result if we continue to act unabated by doing things like developing existing natural areas. Horribly, that’s not hyperbole. Countries at COP 27, like Pakistan, are begging nations like ours to act responsibly, since they are the first in line to be devastated by climate change. But it’s happening in North America, too. Florida residents are having difficulty getting property insurance because of the increase in strong hurricanes in that state. In Canada we have seen an increase in intense fires, which have destroyed towns, atmospheric rivers, which have flooded areas and washed out highways, and a derecho in Ottawa, which caused power outages for many of its residents for almost two weeks. It will only worsen if we continue to ignore the science. Natural areas like the Greenbelt represent intact ecosystems that not only absorb CO2 but are home to a diverse range of plants and animals, which need to be protected against a decline in their populations due to a loss of habitat. Natural areas are a part of the solution in that they are a buffer we need against increasing CO2 emissions. We desperately need more green spaces, not fewer.

One of the other crises we are facing is the housing crisis. People need affordable homes. Housing experts do not agree that new housing should be built on the Greenbelt. They know there are enough places within the urban areas that can be intensified, building affordable houses. I looked at a couple maps recently and saw that the Toronto area is already 9 times the area of New York City. Clearly, we can fit more people within the current urban area.

Monetary benefits would result from building in the current urban area rather than increasing urban sprawl by building in the Greenbelt. The infrastructure for water, sewers and electricity might need to be updated in some places but not built from scratch. Who will pay for the supporting infrastructure in the Greenbelt and how much will it cost? Will developers foot 100% of the those costs or will municipal taxes increase?

It’s time we put all of our kids’ and grandkids’ future well-being ahead of current financial gain of a few. There is no longer an option of waiting even 5 years to stop the destruction of our world. We need to make changes now. Building on the Greenbelt is clearly not in our children’s best interests. For them, we demand that you stop this project now.