July 21, 2022 · 0 Comments
By Constance Scrafield
It is harder to praise the wonders of the summer heat without feeling upset about the excessive heat and the rampant fires raging in so many parts of the world. Yet we are here and we have two priorities – to pressure our leaders in a meaningful and very personal way to seriously commit to what they must do to reduce the many dangers of the climate crisis. Every news broadcast is filled with clear evidence that scientists have not been kidding; they have not been wrong: the damage is done and because space travel is way too far off to be an option, the only solution is to allow the ready sustainable solutions that we have – which are numerous – to grow and begin to do their job in earnest.
As we watch in horror while fires ravage around the world, stripping millions of people of everything and more millions die from just being too hot, the ridiculous, short sighted and oh-so-harmful thinking has to end. Pretence about jobs, convenience, costs and who has all those millions to make – that must be shoved to one side and the welfare of every living thing on earth must become the priority.
We have a MP, Kyle Seeback and a MPP, Sylvia Jones. Our pressure has to be on them specifically for realistic and swift conversions from oil, from the destruction of land for unnecessary highways, from our still existent colonialism and so much more but you know or you could know what must end and what must begin.
Look around; there is almost no time left. Your children are having children or want to have future lives and surely you want that for them too. How can people be still debating issues that are already proven beyond a reasonable doubt – the time is out for more licenses to drill, explore, frack; all that is left is an almost frenzied but intelligent and well informed shift to green.
Let the oil companies join in the rescue of our beautiful planet, this once paradise. Humans have applied every special skill that they have to destroy this ideal planet and, by George, they have almost managed it.
Let the oil companies be the heroes and invest their considerable fortunes into promoting and establishing alternatives. This can only happen if politicians stop pandering to them and very rapidly insist on change by virtue of refusing permission to drill and frack, etc.
The best way for us to bring those pressures to bear is by saying it, by calling our MP and our MPP to account, not allowing them to say nay to what our screens tell us by a thousand platforms – that our world is burning and everything is dying from the heat. The storms rising from the damage are ferocious with no concessions in their terrors.
The excuses are mute but we cannot be.
I did offer two priorities at the beginning of this column and with my impassioned plea for all hands on deck, thinking and acting about the climate catastrophe, I sincerely urge: enjoy yourselves in this environment, here in Dufferin, Caledon and Orangeville. Orangeville is truly a wonderful town and we can still remind the municipal council to keep it wonderful by overseeing the sort of development that wants to come here, by insisting on quality in their building and paying attention to the use of land. Remind them that we all have a vote.
There is so much to boast of and we do! Because we love it, because we want a good future for this lovely place, we cannot be complacent.
Summer is festival time and I hope you will take advantage of the tremendous talent and mountain of work that goes into creating those festival. Gosh, even every Saturday’s farmers market is like a party. The vibe of the town, of Broadway is so much fun, it is no wonder people want to come and live here.
Think about how good it is to live here; then think about losing it. Imagine fires destroying Hockley Valley, tearing into those multi-million-dollar houses and sending their residents fleeing as so many millions are fleeing. People who had lives becoming nothing more than climate refugees, wanting to come here for safety but where more fires can start in an instant.
It is too easy to live in a bubble. We watch the agony of others but they are far enough away for us to feel sheltered, as if all that could never happen here. If we believe that, we are delusional and for reasons that baffle the logical brain, corporations want us deluded.
I was trying to be cheerful. Summer is my favourite season. I want to sing and dance at the festivals. Laugh with my friends and my daughter. Drink some good wine and rejoice at a beautiful sunset but we have let things slide and now we are in the depths of an emergency that only serious pressure on our politicians, holding their feet to those fires can begin the change.
Without taking action right away, there is no safety.
Let Kyle and Sylvia know we mean it.