On Every Level, The Time To Act On Climate Change Is Now

Note from Dorothy: Although our focus at West Coast Climate Equity is primarily global, we can see clearly that national governments are not acting fast enough to prevent dangerous and uncontrollable climate change. My own feeling is that if many local governments act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set strong examples, federal governments will have to take notice.

With her kind permission, I’m posting below a statement made recently by one of our own Island trustees.

Live as if the Future Matters:  A Call to Climate Action

By Christine Torgrimson, February 10, 2011

The draft proposed Salt Spring Island Climate Action Plan has now been reviewed by the Climate Action Council, which includes representatives from 9 community organizations and various members at large.  The main points of that draft will be presented for community information and feedback at public sessions in Fulford and Ganges on Saturday, February 26. Watch for ads and more information in the Driftwood and the community list serve.

I am both pleased and relieved to be at this stage of our climate action planning process.  The evidence for human-caused climate change is alarmingly clear, with compelling and widespread science firmly behind it.  I am not at all interested in debating this issue.  The need for climate action is now recognized in federal, provincial, regional district and Islands Trust policies and I am committed, as an elected official and responsible citizen of the planet, to address this matter fully.

Climate change is an environmental, social and economic challenge that requires us to rethink the basic way we live—from what we eat to how we house, clothe and transport ourselves.  Ultimately, it is a question of intergenerational justice:  What are we bequeathing or sentencing future generations to?

The alarming evidence of the influence of climate change is all around us – from recent extreme climate events in Russia and Pakistan to droughts throughout Africa, Australia and South America.  Closer to our Canadian home, the Arctic sea ice melt is accelerating at an alarming pace, with huge implications for the entire planet as our world “air conditioner” breaks down.  We may be closer to the precipice than most of us think.

And what if by some huge stretch of the imagination we and most of the world’s scientists are wrong—that climate change isn’t real, that it’s just some brief climate aberration, that all will return to “normal very soon?”

What would be wrong with leaving a better legacy for our grandchildren, and a better planet for all living species?  What would be wrong with driving a more fuel-efficient car, developing and utilizing low-carbon emitting energy systems, transforming our transportation infrastructure, cutting down fewer trees, eating more healthy local food, bolstering local economies, and most importantly, reducing the human pain and suffering caused by climate disruptions throughout the world?

I am placing my strong faith in the vast majority of the world’s scientists who say that climate change is real, it is very serious, and we must act now.  I am joining my local, regional, provincial and national elected colleagues in a sincere and definitive commitment to climate action.  Please come on February 26 to hear about and contribute to the Salt Spring Island Climate Action plan.

Let us, together, as a very wise 16-year old said recently, “live as if the future matters.”

By Christine Torgrimson, Salt Spring Island Trustee and Climate Action Council Chair
February 10, 2011 Local Trust Committee Meeting Statement
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada

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Breaking news: The Salt Spring Island Climate Action Council has announced that Draft Climate Action Plan is Ready for Public Input. Please click here to download it:

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Note from Dorothy: If you’re interested in the most recent information about dangerous climate change, please see
4 degrees hotter: an adaptation trap?
This was published by the Australian climate policy group Climate Code Red on February 13, 2011