Climate issues slip under the radar of New Brunswick election campaign

Climate change is largely forgotten in the electoral campaign in New Brunswick, deplores a political scientist from the University of New Brunswick.

Donald Wright, who also contributes to the multimedia Yale Climate Connections, says the province should expect much hotter summers that could harm people’s health and storms that could cause flooding.

According to him, New Brunswick must adapt its infrastructure, its health system and its emergency interventions to this new reality.

He regrets that the issue of global warming has been addressed too little since the start of the electoral campaign. During the recent debate of the leaders of the three main parties, no questions were asked on this subject.

The p^r Wright says politicians avoid talking about climate change, despite the economic, health and environmental dangers it poses, for fear of alienating voters.

The leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, Blaine Higgs, defends himself by saying that his plan to combat climate change is included in the government’s energy strategy published in December. This program aims to allow the province to achieve carbon neutrality within 12 years.

The Liberals want to review and update the emergency measures plan to deal with the increase in extreme weather events linked to climate change. They also plan to implement a plan to combat coastal erosion to protect communities.

The Green Party has pledged, among other things, to create a fund to help municipalities implement adaptation measures and to found an agency to oversee efforts to protect communities and infrastructure along New Zealand’s vast coastline. Brunswick.

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