Alongside Copenhagen, grassroots action can slow climate change

by Travis Lupick on November 18th, 2009 at 4:21 PM

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The clock is ticking on climate change, and ordinary citizens must take matters into their own hands, a Vancouver-based expert on the subject has said.

“What you have to do is recognize that we can’t wait for international organizations or national leaders,” Stephen Sheppard, a professor of landscape architecture and forestry at UBC, told the Straight.

Sheppard was reacting to indications that the upcoming UN climate talks scheduled for Copenhagen, Denmark, are set to fail.

U.S. president Barack Obama has publicly stated that no deal on carbon-dioxide emissions is going to take place, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed a reluctance to even attend the summit.

Meanwhile, on November 17, the Global Carbon Project—an international research body—issued a report warning that the latest comprehensive study on carbon-dioxide emissions indicates that global temperatures could rise by an average of 6 ° C by the end of the century. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has long maintained that any rise of more than 2 ° C could have dangerous consequences.

Sheppard said there are things individuals can do to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. The first is getting off natural gas by using alternative means of heating, and looking at solutions like improved insulation. The second thing that must happen is a reduction in gasoline consumption. Third, people cannot continue to fly as much as they do now.

According to Sheppard, the Lower Mainland has an ideal opportunity to show the potential impact of change at a local level. For two weeks during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vanoc is asking Vancouverites to work from home in order to reduce traffic congestion, Sheppard explained. Estimates indicate that this could reduce the region’s transportation-related carbon-dioxide emissions by as much as 30 percent, which happens to be the target scientists have said they would like to see met by 2020, he said.

“We could do it 10 years early,” Sheppard emphasized. He argued that such an accomplishment could give grassroots organizations the sort of power base needed to challenge large projects that are harmful to the environment, such as the Alberta tar sands.

Doug McArthur, a professor of public policy at SFU, told the Straight that Harper’s lack of commitment to Copenhagen doesn’t mean that Canada is turning its back on an international agreement on carbon-dioxide emissions. He explained that the U.S. government has made it clear that exceptions to any deal will not be made for projects like the tar sands.

“Harper knows he has to be in,” McArthur maintained. “If you’re not in, they’ll punish you.”

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Comments

4 Comments

Lee Norton

Nov 19, 2009 at 6:37am

Unfortunately our Federal Government is doing nothing effective about mitigating climate change. They feel they can get away with nothing as Canadians are not crying out in anger at their inaction. They even ignored the numerous demonstrations on October 24 regarding 350. They said we were a fringe group and could be ignored. Show them they're wrong. Write your government representative, write Harper, Ignatieff. Let them know you want change. Our government doesn't have to wait for the US to enact feed-in tariffs for renewable energy as in the new Ontario Energy Act. Get off your behind and make a difference.

Susan Smitten

Nov 19, 2009 at 10:19am

For an example of grassroots action, the Beaver Lake Cree Nation - a small band of just over 900 people - are suing the federal and Alberta governments to protect their constitutionally guaranteed treaty rights and way of life, thereby effectively stopping expansion of the tar sands. It's a plucky move - they need help to pay for it - but they're on the ground seeing what the tar sands are doing to animals and habitat and they are taking a stand. There's more info at the BLCN website or www.raventrust.com.

seth

Nov 19, 2009 at 4:24pm

News for you Travis I can't stay home and work - telecommute -because my employer won't allow it same as 99% of the rest of BC workers. Probably 75% of us could work 3 day work weeks. When do you think BC's dinosaur employers would allow either?

Where's the public transit? Nope money all spent on megaprojects. What about a deregulated taxis service? Big Taxi campaign donations.

What about natural gas as a vehicle fuel? Ain't happen'n because our gas company has sold out to Big Oil letting them sell natural gas worth 30 cents a liter equiv (home price) for 75 cents by buying a few CNG compressors and politicians. Check out how Utah does it.

What about progressive communities like Nelson looking at community steam heat. They could eliminate megatonnes of annual CO2, and make a bunch of bucks by generating all the West Kootenay's power and Nelson's heat with a single $30 million Hyperion hot tub sized nuke sited in the BCHydro substation. But no nukes in BC!!!

Yes local action is possible but even local progressive leaders like Gregor Robertson and Derek Corrigan refuse to help. No 3 day work weeks, new transit, deregulated taxis, telecommuting, or CNG compressors in Vancouver or Burnaby thank you.

Progressive leaders, with their example, could get us well on the way to meeting Kyoto targets within the year, but Big Business's with their unregulated between election campaign donations wouldn't like it.

Until our local leaders start leading all I can do is spend less. Now that's easy. Hard times no money you see.

Sweet huh.
seth