For the past few years, the effects of climate change have been evident and they will become more and more dramatic if we do not tackle them. Yet citizens and governments alike seem to behave as if the problem is incidental. How to tackle the problem?
Posted at 2:00 p.m.
How is global warming a problem?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts an increase in frequency, duration and intensity of precipitation, heat waves, droughts and hurricanes. These phenomena will cause more floods, forest fires, declines in agricultural yield, death from hyperthermia and, eventually, famines and epidemics. They are already causing population displacements.
While we are only 1.1°C warmer since 1850, many disasters are already happening on a regular basis. A few examples: in 2021, Statistics Canada announced a 40% drop in agricultural yields due to drought1 ; in Europe, this year, the drought caused forest fires of an intensity never reached before; in the Chinese province of Sichuan, the lack of water has an impact on the electricity production of the dams; Pakistan has experienced the worst floods in its history…
There will be no sudden global cataclysm and there is no temperature before which everything is fine and after which everything will be bad. But if we keep dragging on, the trouble will keep getting worse and affecting more and more people, in more and more places, until it jeopardizes economic stability and world peace.
Why act now?
Canada is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40 to 45% by 2030 compared to 2005 and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 under the Paris agreements, the aim of which is to limit global warming to between 1.5°C and 2°C. However, the accumulated delay requires us to reduce them by 6% each year from now on for 28 years. The longer we postpone this effort, the more this already drastic reduction will have to be more so.
Also, even if we stopped emitting GHGs all at once, some impacts of global warming would only begin to fade after several decades and others, such as rising sea levels, would last several centuries.
There is therefore no turning back for the climate on the time scales that concern us. If we wait until the climatic conditions are unbearable to act, it will be too late to keep a habitable planet.
On another level, the inaction of the authorities perceived by young people affects their mental health2.
A social project
Last April, The Press revealed that the means taken by the CAQ government would limit this reduction to only 13% by 2030. In July, Steven Guilbeault acknowledged that the Canadian government was considering pushing back the reduction targets for the oil industry. None of these announcements caused a scandal… And for good reason, only 39% of the Canadian population says they are interested in information about climate change. Faced with such a serious problem, the lack of collective commitment is staggering. It is urgent to rectify the situation!
So where to start ?
Mitigation and adaptation to climate change concern everyone and must become a social project.
For companies and citizens to effectively reduce their footprint, for governments to perform their role as conductor as they should, and for the press to fulfill its role of safeguard, a detailed and systemic understanding of the problem is essential.
It is therefore necessary that each actor is informed and trained according to his role.
Here are some simple ways: by participating in a Fresque du Climat workshop or by watching the YouTube channels of LIMIT, Le Réveilleur or Jean-Marc Jancovici. You can also read the IPCC reports, starting with the “summaries for policymakers” 3the publications of Valérie Masson-Delmotte, the Chair of Energy Sector Management at HEC Montréal, the Trottier Energy Institute, among others… Some companies also offer training.
At school and university, programs are needed that cover climate change in depth while encouraging students to be part of the remedy. These courses must train future citizens to develop solutions specific to their area of interest while taking into account the interactions between sectors.
Announced since the 1970s, climate change is now obvious. Today 1.1°C, tomorrow 2°C or even 3°C; we must act now, together, intelligently, and this first requires an understanding of the phenomenon; especially if, for some, the solutions look like punishments.
In the end, doesn’t the climate threat call us to rebalance our values?
* Co-signatories: Pierre-Olivier Pineau, Chair of Energy Sector Management, HEC Montréal; Aloïs Gallet, co-founder of EcoNova Education, advisor to French people living abroad, Vancouver; Benoît Waeckel, animator and trainer of the Fresque du Climat and member of the Montreal Shifters; Camille Defoly, co-referent and animator of the Fresque du Climat in Quebec; Jean-François Boisvert, Montreal Climate Coalition; Philippe Gauthier, ecological redirection consultant