It is with deep frustration…

It is with deep frustration that we write to the Environmental Registry of Ontario to express our dismay with the Progressive Conservative government’s proposal to repeal the Climate Change Mitigation and Low-Carbon Economy Act, 2016.

Climate change is real and is not going away. The repeal of acts like this one, without an alternative in place, will allow climate change to accelerate. Curbing the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted to atmosphere is one of the globe’s biggest problems and must be addressed now.

One only has to look at the carbon dioxide (CO2) data from Mauna Loa in Hawaii to see that the average mean CO2 concentrations at this remote site have increased. When first measured, in 1959, the mean annual concentration was 315.97 parts per million. In 2017, the mean annual average CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa was 406.53 ppm representing an increase of 28.7% in just under 60 years (1959-2017) (https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/full.html). There can be no doubt that this increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations is due to the activities of humankind and our heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

Another key indicator of climate change is the global land-ocean temperature index which NASA has been tracking for 136 years. NASA (https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/) states on their web site that 17 out of the 18 warmest years on record occurred since 2001 (the exception was in 1998). The year 2017 had an average global surface temperature that was +0.9 C warmer than the average surface temperature from 1951 to 1980, while 2016 was the hottest year on record.

These are just two pieces of evidence that support the fact that climate change is happening and that it is not slowing down. There are many more pieces of evidence from around the world that include the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps, as well as the occurrence of extreme weather perturbations, such as floods, draughts, and hurricanes, and the frequency of these occurrences. Action on reducing GHG emissions around the world is required immediately and we, as Ontarians, need to demonstrate our commitment to the environment and the world’s society by leading through definitive action.

The sense of urgency surrounding climate change seems to be lost on the Progressive Conservative government. Global action is required now to help preserve and sustain our world for the generations of tomorrow. While the current Climate Change Mitigation and Low-carbon Economy Act, 2016, may have its flaws, it does force industry and other stakeholders in Ontario to at least look at their GHG emissions and it has provided a framework in which to incentivize GHG reductions. Repealing an active act that enforces positive action on climate change by a promised “requirement for the Minister to prepare a climate change plan and to prepare progress reports in respect of the plan” (quote from https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-3738) is simply not acceptable. At the very least, the Progressive Conservative government needs to prepare their climate action plan and have it vetted through the Environmental Registry of Ontario prior to canceling the Climate Change Mitigation and Low-Carbon Economy Act, 2016.