When it comes to climate change, a stand-in is not enough. You may have heard – 120 of the world’s leaders gathered in New York yesterday for the United Nations Climate Change Summit hosted by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Sadly, our Prime Minister was conspicuously absent. While leaders like Barack Obama, David Cameron and François Hollande stated their countries’ commitments to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Stephen Harper declined to attend; sending Minister Leona Aglukkaq in his place. Witnessing the lack of action by Conservative government on climate change is distressing. The Conservative government’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto protocol, as well as the dismissal of over 2000 scientists within Canada over the past five years, are just a couple of the many examples of this government’s disregard for our environment. This attitude has drastically altered Canada’s role on the international stage. As Liberal Party Leader, Justin Trudeau, stated, “The Prime Minister’s refusal to join world leaders this week at the UN Climate Summit underscores how little environmental stewardship factors into this government’s agenda. “The Prime Minister has failed to advance strong environmental policy in this country – including transparent oversight, tougher penalties, and a price on carbon pollution – and this inaction has had serious consequences for our environment, our international reputation, and our economy.” Harper’s absence from a summit on what’s been called ‘the defining issue of our age’, by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, is symbolic and sends the wrong message to Canadians and the world. Due to the lack of action of our current government, we will need swift and effective leadership that will have ensure a measurable and effective reduction in greenhouse gases, and shift us to a truly sustainable economy. Here is a great short film that was played at the opening of the summit. I suggest you check it out: youtube/watch?v=-vaajVtgRuI
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 20:04:20 +0000
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