Environmentalists shift focus to more grassroots, less government. Facing a less friendly government, green groups leave Ottawa in pursuit of public support. Global warming is not the only kind of climate change environmental groups in Canada have had to deal with in recent years. Theyve also been dealing with a major shift in the political climate that has forced them to change their approach to everything from carbon emissions to pipeline projects to keep up public support for their causes. Northern Gateway is not alone: 5 other pipeline projects to watch Many have simply given up on spending a lot of time talking to the federal government and have turned instead to local and provincial issues — and knocking on a lot of doors. Graham Saul, executive director of Ecology Ottawa, says its a whole different game, with more focus on generating support and donations in suburban areas. Weve knocked on 50,000 doors in the east end of Ottawa in the past year and a half, he said in an interview with CBC News. These are the areas where the battle for the soul of Canada is currently being fought, and yet these are also areas where the Canadian environmental community has not made an adequate effort to develop a strong base of support. The environmental movement has had to transform itself to get to this point, and Saul is good example of the evolution. As the former head of the Climate Action Network, a lot of his time was spent talking about international climate issues and lobbying the federal government on action to curb emissions. All that ended when the Harper government was elected in 2006. cbc.ca/news/politics/environmentalists-shift-focus-to-more-grassroots-less-government-1.2787177
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 19:22:39 +0000
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