Winter’s on its way, but that’s nothing compared to the icy chill coming from south of the border. Social progress that has taken decades to build may be rolled back now. It may take decades to undo the damage. But there’s one issue that can‘t wait: climate change. We’ve already squandered years in wilful ignorance, lies and misinformation, greed and selfishness, and we can’t afford to waste any more time. The future of the planet depends on what we do in the next few years.
David Suzuki, now 80, recently spoke about the urgent need to have environmental rights enshrined in the Constitution, so that they won’t be subject to the whims of politicians. He’s worried about the world he’s leaving for his grandchildren. And he issued a special challenge to seniors: “Get ... off the golf course, get off the couch. You’ve got something that nobody else in society has — you and I have lived an entire lifetime — we’ve learned a hell of a lot during that lifetime. But what we’ve learned is we need clean air, clean water and clean food to survive. Kids know that, but a lot of adults have forgotten that.”
If you’re a seasoned activist with a reputation for making a difference, jump right in. Otherwise, I really don’t think younger activists want to hear from us. They see us as the generation that created the culture of greed and excess that led us to this point. If you’re a good organizer, maybe consider forming a coalition of grandparents, as grandmothers did in response to the AIDS epidemic in Africa. I’ve come across a few such efforts in Canada, but so far they don’t seem to have gotten any traction. Support our environmental organizations, like the David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence, Ontario Nature, and the Toronto Environmental Alliance. And support trustworthy, objective, research-based news sources, so that we can continue to hear the truth.
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Sun, 2017-07-02 16:27
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Environment and Professional Journalism