1. Vote for a party that promises to meet the targets set at Copenhagen at the very least and has a credible plan for achieving them. (listed June 15, 2009)
Unfortunately, due to the inaction of three successive federal governments and not a few of the provinces, Canada will never be able to honour the emissions targets set out in Kyoto back in 1997. With three years to go until 2012, the deadline for achieving the reductions, greenhouse gas emissions in Canada – and Alberta – have increased, not decreased. So what’s desperately needed is a government that will make an honest effort to get back on track – and one that will push for aggressive new goals in Copenhagen this December and sign on the line for real this time.
The scientists, activists and politicians that were interviewed for U: almost invariably stressed the first thing Canada and Alberta needed in order to address climate change properly was more committed leadership from federal and provincial governments.
Why is voting so important?
There’s no way around the fact that regulations and policies that need to be put in place in order to make real progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions require legislation, implementation, monitoring and enforcement on national and provincial levels. While individual citizens can turn off lights and conserve all the water they want – and they should continue to do so – the power to pass laws and implement policies that make reducing greenhouse gas emissions in industry’s best interest rests solely in the hands of our politicians. Agriculture, transportation policy, auto emissions standards and urban planning and infrastructure are four other areas where really only the upper levels of government have the ability to make the kind of changes that are required.
Simply put, a government that truly takes the issue seriously will get us somewhere. One that doesn’t keeps us all part of the problem. back to top
2. Write or call your MP, MLA, Ministers of the Environment and Energy and your City Councillor and let them know that climate change is an issue that will determine your vote (listed June 25, 2009)
It’s easy to think this kind of action is futile or all but insignificant. But we’re likely to have a federal election sometime in the next year or two, and having people in power who understand the importance of the issue is going to be key to getting anywhere with it.
Consider also that in December, representatives of our governments will be in Copenhagen with the rest of the world trying to come to an agreement about the next international targets for greenhouse gas reductions. Canada and Alberta are coming to the table with strategies that would be risible if they weren’t so embarrassing – and they’re not likely to improve without public pressure.
Contact your MLA
Contact your MP
Federal Minister of the Environment
Alberta Minister of the Environment
Federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Alberta Minister of Energy
3. Change how you get around (listed September 20, 2009)
Do a little research around item #2 in Things to Know and you’ll discover that how you get yourself from one place to another probably creates much of your carbon footprint, especially if you own an automobile (or two, or three). Changing how you get around, particularly when you go to work or take your kids to school, can take a big chunk out of that. There are lots of alternatives to driving your car, including walking, biking and public transit.
You don’t have to suddenly switch to using these ways of getting around every day, either. Even if you decide to take the bus just one day a week, you’ve arguably reduced the carbon footprint you leave as a result of driving your car by 12-20%, in which case you may already be doing better than the province of Alberta. You don’t have to bike in the winter either, though many people do both here and in other countries, but if you switched to cycling from late spring to early fall, that could cut your personal transportation emissions by as much as 50%.
A number of the people interviewed for U: The Comedy of Global Warming had switched completely to walking or biking to work and pointed out the many advantages of using these alternative methods of transportation. Biking and walking increase physical fitness, and can even replace the need for expensive gym memberships. Walking, public transit and biking offer opportunities to interact with neighbours and foster a much greater sense of participation with your community. Walking and biking are also cheaper, more reliable in that they’re less subject to traffic delays, and depending on where you live, just as fast or faster than driving once rush hour, parking and walking from your parking spot to work are factored in. Finally, taking public transit allows you to get work done, relax, read the paper or safely drink that morning coffee while you travel.
Try counting the cost of owning and using a car – gas, maintenance, insurance, parking (and tickets!) – and consider if in your case renting a car only when you need it might be a cheaper option, especially if you’re able to take advantage of alternative modes of transportation for most of your local travel.
When you do take your car, or if its indispensable to your work, try travelling in pools, planning multiple errands in one trip or just being conscious of taking the most efficient route from A to B. Keep your current car tuned up and an good running order and, cash for clunkers or no, when you do buy a new automobile, make fuel economy a top priority and definitely test drive a hybrid or, if they’re legal by that time, an electric vehicle. back to top
4. Use Less Energy at Home (listed September 20, 2009)
Along with getting around, how much energy you use at home makes up the other large portion of your personal carbon footprint. You’ve probably already heard all the ways you can address that, from switching off lights and home electronics when you’re not using them to upgrading your furnace and making sure your walls and windows are adequately insulated, but below are a few general thoughts to help focus your efforts.
In Canada, heating accounts for the largest portion of your home energy use, so whatever you can do to insulate your house, upgrade your furnace, or lower your thermostat can go a long way to helping address climate change. Beyond that, you can strategize by thinking and acting along four main lines:
- Use what you’ve got less (turn it off when you’re not using it, or ask yourself if you even really need to use it at all)
- Make sure what you’ve got uses energy efficiently (from bulbs and TVs to fridges and furnaces);
- Use energy smartly (what about installing lighting and thermostat timers, doing your laundry at night during the off-peak hours or, considering that dryers are energy pigs, hanging that laundry out to dry every one in a while?);
- Switch to renewable sources where you can (solar water heating is affordable – and consider switching your supply source to one of the growing number of renewable energy suppliers in the province).
One more thing: if you’re in Edmonton, drop by the Net Zero Houses in Mill Creek and Riverdale – you’ll find lots of helpful information there. back to top
5. Use your purchasing power to let industry and business know what’s important to you (listed September 22, 2009)
Some people think this is just so much tilting at windmills, and maybe they’re right. On the other hand, maybe they’re really, really wrong. The awful and prevalent idea that we should always let the market decide things can turned to good use if we recognize that we always consciously or unconsciously have the ultimate choice in many purchases we make. Sometimes we’re seduced into it by things bright and shiny or popular brand names. So why not add “Does it help save the world?” to the list of important, conscious criteria for choosing what we buy?
Buy local.
Buy energy and fuel efficient.
Buy renewable energy.
Buy recycled or recyclable.
Sometimes its good to buy used or second-hand (though often not for cars or appliances).
Buy a bus pass, a taxi ride, a bicycle, a nice pair of walking shoes…
Buy less.
…and sometimes, just sometimes, maybe don’t buy at all….that can say just as much.