Friday, February 27, 2004

Reposted from David Suzuki Foundation.

Too Many Problems

David Suzuki

News that global warming could push one quarter of the world's plants and animals to the edge of extinction by 2050 recently made headlines around the world. But did the stories do more harm than good?

The forecast is truly grim. A major international research paper published in the journal Nature reports that about one million species could be doomed to extinction. The culprit? Heat-trapping gases we are pumping into the atmosphere through vehicle exhaust, power plant and factory smokestacks and home chimneys.

So, faced with such alarming news, what did people do? Did millions say "That's it, no more SUV for me!" and commit to public transit? Did thousands call, write or email their elected leaders and demand action on global warming? Did corporate executives commit to making their industries cleaner?

No. Instead, this terrible news was largely met with a collective shrug. To be fair, it was more of a collective "Isn't that horrible!" or "How awful!" rather than a shrug, but the effect is the same. For the average person, nothing will change.

Why? Well, most people are simply overwhelmed by such news because the whole thing seems beyond their control. When that happens, people tune out. They have too many other things to deal with in their lives to figure out one more problem in the world - especially something as incomprehensibly big as climate change. Rather than being spurred to action, such news without context can drive many people to a defensive position.

Just as consistent news reports focusing on street crime creates fear and drives people off the streets (thereby actually making the streets more dangerous) overwhelming environmental news also causes people to retreat into themselves and inadvertently make things worse. For example, rather than taking action to reduce global warming, some people may purchase a bigger, heavier vehicle "to keep the family safe."

Believe it or not, this actually creates a market for more environmentally unfriendly products. I can see automotive executives sitting in a boardroom discussing how to capitalize on concerns about global warming. "People are worried about what global warming. What can we do about that?" asks an executive. "Bigger air conditioners to beat the heat!" says one. "Bigger everything to make people feel more secure," says another. This is what's called "meeting market demand."

Climate studies are vital to our understanding of the atmosphere and how we are changing it. But as studies pile up, we have to look beyond the impacts of what will happen if we don't change to how to make the changes necessary to prevent the worst-case scenarios from coming to pass. Right now, we are stuck in the mud and spinning our wheels.

All citizens can help by reducing the amount of energy we use. But to really slow global warming, Canadians need the kind of leadership and strategies that can only occur at the highest levels. Our government has adopted the Kyoto Protocol, the first small, but important, step to address climate change. Unfortunately, little has been done to get started on this essential task. Comments made by our new Minister of Natural Resources, John Efford, about expanding oil and gas production in Canada are not very encouraging. The minister appears unaware of any connection between energy use and global warming.

In his upcoming Throne speech, Prime Minister Martin would do well to give Canadians a sense about how he plans on dealing with issues like air pollution and climate change. This will require a new focus, from fossil fuels and nuclear subsidies, to clean, renewable energy and better efficiency. We can meet the challenge of climate change and doing so will make Canada a stronger, more competitive country.

So to our new prime minister and his cabinet, please don't accept the status quo. It's time for a new vision and a new future. You are our leaders - so lead. One million species and the next generation of Canadians will thank you.