Earth Hour

March 28, 2009- Winnipeg

Scientists warn that our corner of the Earth is at the front lines of global climate change. They estimate temperature increases on the Canadian prairies as a result of industrial and agricultural emissions may be as much as the double global average.  Without a significant change in our behaviour, we are likely to experience 4-6 degrees of warming by the end of the century; that is within the likely lifespan of many children born today.  They also expect greater variation in winter snowfall and rain for our region.  As we anxiously watch this weekend while our neighbours in Fargo, Roseau River and elsewhere along the Valley struggle to defend their communities and homes, this prospect is especially troubling. What further global warming will mean for our environment and for future generations no one can know for certain.  Today, I will be talking about the actions we can take to prevent dangerous climate change.

We know that our North American lifestyle and economy has imperiled our planet.  We have no precedent in our history to fall back on when we look for examples of such rapid climate change. Accumulations of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are on course to reach double the level they were at 200 years ago.  Sea levels could rise by a metre or more.  Ecosystems will be irrevocably altered, with stunning losses of biodiversity. The effects of these changes will fall most heavily on the poor who lack the resources, education, infrastructure and opportunities to adapt. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that global hunger would increase substantially.  India alone could lose 125 million tonnes of cereal production.  The development gains in many countries would be erased.

This Earth Hour gives us the opportunity to reflect on the footprint on the Earth of our own activities and to plan a course for change. One way or another these changes will come about.  To maintain for the world’s population the lifestyle of an average Canadian would require the resources of five planets. We only have one.  If we do not adapt now, circumstances will soon force us, but the conditions under which those changes would come will not be of our own choosing. However, by charting a deliberate course to sustainability, we can learn the behaviours and develop the institutions that will get us off our addition to the carbon-based fuels that are choking the planet. If we start acting now, we may just turn things around fast enough to mitigate many of the worst risks of climate change.

At Resource Conservation Manitoba, we believe in the principle of practical sustainability.  These are concrete things we can do to reduce our negative impact on the planet.  We believe it is important to be empowered in taking these steps, since they are within our most immediate range.  We also believe that the changes we make need not be felt as sacrifices.  In fact, living within the environmental carrying capacity of our planet may be more enjoyable, as we are not tied down to automobiles, hectic commutes and over-sized homes we can never hope to heat properly.  Scaling back is often essential to give us the time we need to appreciate what we have.  Our meeting here by candlelight offers us a rare space free from the electrical distractions of modern life.  The lack of electricity in this case as a luxury.  We should not forgo the benefits and comforts of modern life, but instead take moments such as these to recognize when they are inessential or even counterproductive to our well being.
There are countless activities we can do to lessen our burden on the planet. 

At Resource Conservation Manitoba, we run several programs that can help get us on the right track, including compost training workshops, programs to encourage biking to work or school as well as the living green living well online guide to sustainability which provides literally hundreds of starting points for a healthier lifestyle which is lighter on the planet. We also administer an employer sponsored bus pass program that helps hundreds of Winnipegers get around more sustainably. There are countless steps we can take and I welcome any of you stay in contact with us at RCM to continue this conversation.

But here I would like to take a moment to focus specifically on one aspect of our lives where our impact on the climate is the greatest. Transportation is the single largest source of climate changing greenhouse gases in Manitoba and accounts for 37 % of our emissions.  In Manitoba, we produce nearly as much greenhouse gas to meet our transportation needs as do citizens of France or Austria for all their needs combined, including transportation, agriculture, heating and electricity.  Clearly we are driving too much, and too inefficiently.  Part of the problem is that we lack the infrastructure for mass transit and active transportation in many parts of the city, and we should be demanding better bus service, more bicycle lanes and better walking routes throughout the city.

We need also to take personal responsibilty.  Our geography and climate are more conducive in Winnipeg to cycling than many other parts of the country, at least for half the year.  New cycling maps to be released this year by Climate Change Connection and Bike to the Future will make it even easier to plan your route.  This year’s Commuter Challenge in May is a great chance to become inspired to develop the habit of cycling, walking or busing to work. For most short trips, driving a car is slower than other forms of transportation once the hassle of parking is taken into account. If you reduce your driving just 20%, that’s one day per week, you’ll not only minimize the amount of CO2 you put into air by over one tonne, you’ll save money and improve your health and fitness.  Cutting back on climate change doesn’t have to be onerous. 

In 2002, Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty on climate change. We committed to a six percent reduction in Greenhouse gases from 1990 levels by 2012.  Today, our emissions are 25% above where we started.  We are far off our commitments and we are headed in the wrong direction.  Moreover, if we are to be serious about climate change, we need to go beyond Kyoto.  There is a national movement, that I encourage you to become a part of, called Kyoto Plus, that recognizes along with the majority of the world’s climate scientists, that we need to cut emission levels by over one third of where we are today in the next decade if we are to have any real chance at keeping climate under control.  We need to commit to driving one third less, to making our homes that much more efficient and changing our pattern of work, leisure and travel in a way that will give the atmosphere time to mend.  These are significant changes, but they are doable if we start now. The longer we wait the harder it will be.

When you leave here today, and get home from these Earth Hour celebrations, by all means turn on your lights.  We will need clear sight for changes we need to make in our lives and in our communities.  But I hope you take inspiration today to make the spirit of Earth Hour part of your daily life.