David Suzuki: Canada must do more to confront climate crisis

People who deny the reality of human-caused global warming are wetting their pants over the illegal theft and release of e-mails from scientists at the East Anglia Climate Research Unit. In their desperation, the deniers claim the e-mails point to a global conspiracy by the world’s scientists and government leaders to”¦

Well, it’s hard to say what they believe the conspiracy is about. A letter to a Vancouver newspaper some time ago indicates the way many of them think. The writer claimed that people working to address global warming “are ideological zealots pursuing a quasi-religious socialist agenda to command and control western economies”.

It would be funny if it didn’t echo the thinking of so many people—even some in influential positions in government and industry—and if the situation weren’t so critical.

Sadly for the deniers and for all of us, the e-mails don’t show that global warming is a grand hoax or conspiracy. They do nothing to diminish the decades of overwhelming scientific evidence that the Earth is not only warming largely because of emissions from burning fossil fuels but that it’s worse than we thought. Recently, 26 scientists from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, the U.S., and Australia released a report showing that the impacts of global warming are occurring faster and are more widespread than other reports from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had projected.

The report, titled The Copenhagen Diagnosis, summarized the most recent research from around the world, which shows that Arctic sea ice is melting faster than we thought, that both Greenland and Antarctica are losing more ice than predicted, and that sea levels are rising more quickly than anticipated. The scientists conclude that the Earth could reach several “tipping points” if we keep pumping emissions into the atmosphere at the same rate.

The report also quashes the myth of “global cooling” that has been “promoted by lobby groups and picked up in some media.” The report’s authors conclude that “even the highly ”˜cherry-picked’ 11-year period starting with the warm 1998 and ending with the cold 2008 still shows a warming trend of 0.11 ° C per decade.”

It’s astounding that those who deny that climate change exists or that it is human-caused, either out of self-interest or ignorance, are willing to see some grand conspiracy in a handful of stolen emails but are unwilling to see the undeniably clear evidence of the impacts of climate change already occurring around the world.

Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, world leaders are dragging their heels in the lead-up to the Copenhagen climate summit this month. As University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver notes, in abandoning the idea of reaching a binding agreement in Copenhagen, world leaders are essentially saying that they don’t believe they owe anything to our children and grandchildren.

Unfortunately, Canada has a poor record on climate change and international negotiations to address the problem. Our government argues that the economy takes precedence over the environment. It’s incredibly short-sighted to think that a healthy economy can be maintained when the health of the planet is failing. And it’s absurd to pin our economic hopes on extracting limited supplies of dirty fossil fuels in a world that is increasingly switching to cleaner forms of energy.

Our prime minister wasn’t even planning to attend the Copenhagen summit until U.S. President Barack Obama announced that he was going. Canadians citizens can take some credit for the prime minster’s about-face. He is said to have reconsidered in part because of a recent Angus Reid poll that indicated most Canadians want him to attend.

Beyond the poll, hundreds of thousands of Canadians have told the government that we must work toward an agreement that is fair, ambitious, and binding. And 3,000 scientists recently sent an open letter urging the government “to negotiate an outcome that will rapidly and adequately address climate change”.

One of the strongest messages came from a coalition of representatives from the developing world, Commonwealth secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma, former U.K. international development secretary Clare Short, climate scientist Saleemul Huq, and British environment and development groups. They argue that Canada should be suspended from the Commonwealth for ignoring the impact of climate change on the world’s poorest countries.

Our leaders have a historic opportunity in Copenhagen to address the most serious crisis that humanity has faced. As citizens, we have the responsibility to let them know that we expect them to act.

Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

Comments

30 Comments

Terry

Dec 1, 2009 at 5:55pm

What? David Suzuki....are you serious? Are you tied into this fraud as well? You do realize that the people of Canada (especially BC) can take lawfull and legal action against you if you are in colusion with these fraudsters. It will be proven that you influenced the polititians who set up carbon taxes and caused finacial harm to individuals and companies all based on a fraud and they will sue you and your foundation personally.

H-Kram

Dec 1, 2009 at 7:14pm

"illegal theft" ... hmm. I guess this means Suzuki and gang believe that theft is sometimes legal. Then again, that would figure, wouldn't it, given their hard-on for ever higher taxes.

Stephane

Dec 1, 2009 at 8:13pm

Mr. Suzuki,

We actually met a few times - mostly in airports in between flights. I'm sure the Copenhagen Summit and its proposed objectives delights you, but you must admit that the entire affair reeks greater than any emission ever put forth by humans (well, Al Gore exempted). The proposed Carbon Tax will do little else than provide World leaders with an excellent mechanism by which their pockets can be fattened - with little to none of the funds being trickled down to people or nations that need it. Like others have suggested, I would refrain from embarking too heavily with such fraudsters, as others might certainly seek to take legal action with you as well. Mr. Suzuki, man is certainly causing destruction upon the planet, but beware the temptation to provide sticky political fingers with too much power and control over entire nations. Better ways exist to undo our mess.

keep it general

Dec 1, 2009 at 9:48pm

Pollution is bad just so long as it is non-specific. BC's record is off limits for criticism.

Burning plastics?
Fish farms?
Run of river?
Shipping out raw logs?
...

Gerrit

Dec 1, 2009 at 9:55pm

Why do articles in the media always refer to China as " the worlds largest emitter of GHG"? The only reasonable way to compare emissions is on a per capita basis. If we can compare the US to China, why not to Canada? Canadians can pat themselves on the back because they only emit about 10% as much as the US. We live in one world and the GHG recognize no political boundaries. We are each individually responsible for our environmental footprint.

greggron

Dec 2, 2009 at 12:42am

No they were not stolen files..they were placed on a PUBLIC server. Also, I agree a class-action suit is in order for the biggest fraud perpetuated in history against Canadians...the LIE of man-made global warming.

Paul Clark

Dec 2, 2009 at 12:49am

My posts of a few days ago over on davidsuzuki.org just got deleted. In the first post I said: "This Copenhagen thing must be stopped". In the second post I responded to another poster who also had his post deleted by referring to Russian research disproving fossil origins for fuel and "peak oil".

http://www.gasresources.net/energy_resources.htm

I also referenced an article showing that the dC13 isoptope excursion is correlated to ocean currents.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/01/28/spencer-pt2-more-co2-peculiarities...

David why was my post deleted? There was no profanity; it was on-topic. Trying to suppress dissent? What happened to debate?

Theodore

Dec 2, 2009 at 6:59am

David,

I am abhorred that someone in a position such as yours uses a term like "denier" to describe those who are skeptical of AGW. The terms "denier", "denialist", etc. were first used to describe Holocaust deniers, and your use of the terminology belittles the victims of that period. From "scientists" who make up data, hide data and methodology from skeptics, and even celebrate the passing of a peer with opposing opinions, I would expect no less. However, from a person who understands the Canadian-Japanese part of that history, I would expect better. Being skeptical of questionable scientific practises is in no way comparable to denying the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Find a better word to describe those who don't agree with you.

Btok

Dec 2, 2009 at 7:31am

I believe the Copenhagen Treaty Summit should be cancelled! How in God's name can this be considered a legal agreement when a Huge Amount of the basis for the Climate Change Data has been found to be Fraudulently Sabotaged and absolutely Inaccurate? This is signing an agreement Document that has no Legal Foundation of Realistic conditions or elements due to inaccurate and Manipulated Data as described and therefore, anything stated on this Copenhagen Treaty Document should be considered Null and Void! Why create a Pandora's Box, subject to Lawsuits and Misgivings due to total inaccuracy of Scientific measurements? Which now is proving to be the case! This Treaty has no Legal ground to stand on and is and will be a False Document from day one!

Any lawyers want to help out by filing this Copenhagen Treaty be classified as an illegal Treaty!

There are four reasons the UN and IMF, Global Elitist Members Re: Ban Kai Moon ( Who has openly expressed his stong desire for Global Governance ), PM Gordon Brown, Bilderberg Member Henry Kissinger, Senior Bilderberg Member David Rockefeller as well as an unprecedented number of Dictators that run various countries who are members of the United Nations this Copenhagen Treaty that was designed to acquire four goals, the least of them being climate improvment or protection as Lord Moncton has stated!
(1.) To de-industrialize Sovereign Countries ( No Jobs keep you dependant on State ) ( 2.) Take your money and assets - Hence, Fraudulent Carbon Emmissions and Carbon Gases for Carbon Credits and Carbon Taxes! (3.) Take away your property (4.) Take away your Sovereignty and Freedom!
Check out what Government is doing behind your back at:
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To request that PM Harper doesn't sign the Copenhagen Treaty, therby causing Canadians to lose their Sovereignty and Freedom email the PM at: pm@pm.gc.ca

Time is getting short and it is coming down to the fact, that soon I will have to pray to the good Lord to maintain our freedoms an not allow our leaders to sign the Copenhagen Treaty which will take away our liberties, however while there is still time to prevent the loss of a lifetime, pergaps loss of life it's self I will do what I am able to fight for our freedoms! The whole Climate change agenda is a proven fraud but governments don't care as that is just the instrument they have used to ensnare us! Has everybody out there become a tree hugger? Anyone out there want to fight and maintain their freedom anymore? Please do all you can to preserve freedom in North America!
What climate crisis, open your eyes and head, this is a farce to get you to stand down, don't be a fool!
To request that PM Harper doesn't sign the Copenhagen Treaty, therby causing Canadians to lose their Sovereignty and Freedom email the PM at: pm@pm.gc.ca

Kevin

Dec 2, 2009 at 7:48am

Everywhere I turn I hear people whining, trying to blame others, and generally trying everything they can to avoid the inevitable price we all will have to bear to stop fouling our nest and turn things around before we muck up the planet for our descendants. My mind is boggled by the sheer ignorance of the idea that this scandal amounts to reason for serious debate on the overwhelming results of thousands of independent studies from around the world. Even if the IPCC is completely corrupt, they didn't do the studies they are citing. What possible paranoid conspiracy scenario would it take to have thousands of scientists from many countries falsify results to the same effect, and what would be the possible motive? We ALL pay for climate change. Denying it, on the other hand, is very lucrative and has in fact been well funded by oil company lobbies and others who have paid tiny groups of corrupt scientists to slant their results so that politicians could say that the science was 'debatable' and not be laughed off the stage.