If you are told that the highest authority on climate (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC) produced a comprehensive report on the issue this year and that legislation is on the way to be adopted at the federal level on the same subject, what is it? You probably won’t know, and that’s okay. Because in Quebec, environmental justice doesn’t seem to concern us.
Posted yesterday at 9:00 a.m.
However, Quebec can no longer ignore the many cases of environmental injustice that shape its territory. There are the obvious cases, publicized after years of voluntary work provided by the local communities which are victims (think of the populations exposed to toxic discharges from the Horne Foundry in Rouyn-Noranda, to heavy metal dust from Limoilou in Quebec, or east of the island of Montreal), but also all the others that we don’t hear about.
Geographical coincidence?
Environmental injustices highlight the fact that some communities bear an inequitable and disproportionate burden of environmental damage and risk: for example, because of polluting industries located near their homes, or because they live in islets of heat where the mercury rises much faster than in the green neighboring neighborhoods (who would have thought that trees are one of the best allies in the face of heat waves?).
In addition, we note that very often, these same communities do not have access to information and decision-making regarding activities that may affect their health and their environment.
What do they have in common? These are very often low-income, racialized, indigenous populations who are also exposed to other forms of social and economic inequality, and whose health is threatened by various risks.
In short: it is always the same communities that pay, even though they are also the least responsible for pollution and the least emitters of greenhouse gases.
The urgency of fairness
Now that doubt has been lifted as to the presence of environmental injustices in Quebec, why is it so important to talk about social justice, the rights of Aboriginal peoples, health, when talking about the environment?
Firstly, because the climate crisis is forcing us to rethink our methods of energy production and consumption to turn towards a decarbonisation of the economy. However, this decarbonization can be just as damaging, if not more so, for the environment and local populations than a status quo powered by fossil fuels, if the actions taken do not take into consideration the issues of environmental justice.
Then, just last February, the IPCC warned us that planning and implementing adaptation measures that do not take into account the negative consequences for different groups can lead to maladaptation. .
What this means is that instead of allowing people to live better with climate change, maladaption conversely leads to an increased risk of adverse climate-related consequences and degradation of living conditions. vulnerable populations.
In return, the prosperity of Quebec society as a whole is undermined.
The time for action
It is time to talk about environmental justice, but above all, it is urgent to act. The David Suzuki Foundation is today publishing a report on the realities of Quebec, the arguments for getting active, but also the courses of action for laying the first stones. Several jurisdictions have been acting for a long time and Quebec must follow suit and lead by example. Commit to analyzing the effect of our climate actions on vulnerable communities; better document situations of environmental injustice; improving public participation in environmental decision-making and extending the exercise of the right to a healthy environment are some of the recommendations made to the provincial government.
While the affected communities have been sounding the alarm in general indifference for decades, it is no longer conceivable to say “we did not know”. The challenges are great, but the compromises to the health and wellbeing of some populations can no longer be normalized on the cusp of unprecedented global environmental crises — our collective dignity is at stake.