A commentary by a Colwood resident.
“Common sense” can be defined as “the ability to think and behave in a reasonable way and to make good decisions.”
Acting now to stop runaway climate change is a good decision, given what world-renowned climate scientists like Johan Rockstrom tell us about planetary tipping points and the uncertainty of climate stability.
Regrettably, thanks to the spreading of misinformation and fear-mongering by vested interests (with big pockets), common sense seems to be in short supply.
A common tactic of those who cling to “business as usual” is to say Canada’s emissions are minor compared to countries like China. China is leading the world in renewable energy.
B.C. is perfectly positioned to be an economic and visionary leader in the renewable energy transition. We could create jobs here, instead of importing solar panels from China.
We could signal to the rest of the world that we accept our moral obligation to provide a livable future for our children and help the world’s most vulnerable people and countries.
The Sept. 28 commentary, “What does a ‘common-sense’ approach to climate change look like?” cites the Royal Bank of Canada’s research that reaching 75 per cent of Net Zero by 2050 will cost Canadians $60 billion a year; about $1,500 per Canadian, or $6,000 a year for a family of four, warning that “Better-off families will pay much more than $6,000 a year.”
For “better-off families,” that’s less than the cost of a January vacation in Mexico. (Perhaps the $1,500 for citizens who could never afford a trip to Mexico could come from the taxpayer dollars we currently give the fossil fuel industry in the form of subsidies?)
Researchers at the World Economic Forum found that climate-change is costing the world $16 million per hour. (A new climate disaster every news cycle.)
A study by Senior Economist Marc Lee (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) estimated the total economic costs of 2021’s extreme weather events in British Columbia to between $10.6 billion and $17.1 billion, much of which is borne directly by households and businesses.
Ask a climate disaster survivor what climate change has cost them. Maybe someone from Lytton, still living in a motel three years after their community burned to the ground? Or an Abbotsford farmer who lost everything in the unprecedented floods? Or maybe you know a relative of one of the 619 B.C. residents who perished during the 2021 heat dome?
Prioritizing a livable planet is common sense.
Let’s make good decisions about who we want to take us through the next four years of increasing, multiple challenges.
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