Climate change is the most…

Climate change is the most pressing, critical issue of our times. To repeal the current cap and trade program without having a viable alternative to take over is just not acceptable.

The oceans are full of plastic; the forests are being depleted; the ice sheets are melting, and each year the rate of temperature increase and sea level rise are far exceeding the predictions of scientific models. What many people don’t realize is the high level of uncertainty behind scientific models regarding climate change, but one thing is for sure: these models are often highly conservative, and we consistently surpass these predictions at break-neck speed, setting off new, and even more dangerous, downstream impacts, called positive feedbacks, like the potential release of vast amounts of methane and mercury in the permafrost.

Our animals, birds, marine life and insects are going extinct; ecosystems are being compromised and people are suffering around the world. Why are we continuing to support polluting, earth destructing and waste producing industries that only care about their shareholders and bottom lines? Why are we still considering pipelines when we should be investing in renewable energy? Why are we building highways when we should be investing in public transportation? Why is our food laced with chemicals when we should have access to pesticide, chemical fertilizer and hormone free food?

We need to curb our consumeristic, materialistic and selfish needs. Stop buying, do more! Stop using single-use plastics. Practice sustainability: recycle, refuse, reduce, reuse, rot and repair. Follow zero waste. Borrow. Grow some of your own foods. Pay attention to what is happening in your governments; big business; your utilities; your communities; your neighbours; your backyard. Have we, humanity, become so self-absorbed that we no longer care for people or for the Earth? Do we want our children, grandchildren to be the ones to face the uncertainty of future on Earth? We must stop ignoring this issue as if it’s something the next generation will figure out. Climate change is a human problem, and each one of us is responsible for our choice, inaction or action.