By comparing itself to the states and provinces of North America, climate dunces, the government not only justifies its own inaction, but it contributes to curbing the climate action of citizens, implying that in Quebec, in terms of climate and biodiversity, everything is going very well, Madame la Marquise!
This week, in an interview with The Press, our Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Benoit Charette, affirmed that, even if Quebec reduced its emissions, “it will change little if the United States, China, Brazil and India are not changing their approach”. We will have seen more motivated “struggle” leaders!
François Legault recently alleged “when we look at the GHGs per capita, over 60 states and provinces […] Quebec is first. Can we be a little bit proud? “. Benoit Charette gave us the same speech during a visit to Everybody talks about it. “We are the best in North America”, in front of a stunned Laure Waridel: “But we compare ourselves to the worst! »
Who is telling the truth?
First, note that the “per capita” carbon footprints of Canada and the United States are similar, and among the highest on the planet, according to recent calculation methods, which take into account the consumption of imported goods. Our carbon footprint is indeed lower than those of our immediate neighbours, a reality attributable to our renewable electricity, and not to ambitious programs to fight against climate change. And we are still among the largest emitters of GHGs in the world: the annual average of emissions per inhabitant in Quebec is twice as high as in Europe or China, six times that of India and Brazil and three times the world average. Nothing to brag about!
Post-truth, telling what people prefer to hear rather than presenting the facts fully and honestly, is a tool used by populist politicians to manipulate public opinion. And precisely, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in a recent report, mentions misinformation as a factor delaying the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures in North America. “Resistance to climate change science persists in the public domain in North America, despite expert scientific consensus. »
The IPCC also tells us that every ton of CO2 avoided counts and that every fraction of a degree less of warming will save disasters, saving lives and human tragedies. In this context, any statement with the intention or consequence of curbing climate action is immoral and pernicious.
Back to pride. Let us be proud of the choices made by our visionary ancestors to bequeath to us hydroelectricity, which today places Québec in an advantageous energy position. Can our grandchildren say the same about today’s choices?
Recent events show us the opposite: the CAQ is putting obstacles in the way of public transit projects in Montreal and Quebec, authorizing a mining company to dump its waste in lakes and rivers, advocating an increase in nickel in the air, fails to protect endangered species, such as the caribou and the tree frog, rejected projects to protect protected areas essential to the biodiversity of southern Quebec, failed to act following denunciations of the interference of the pesticide industry, lets industries pump our water at a derisory rate, does not follow up on regulatory proposals to fight against planned obsolescence.
Not to mention the number of economists, doctors, biologists and other experts who denounce the lack of ambition of the plan and the budget allocated to the climate crisis: not only are the objectives not up to a viable future and the fair share of the efforts that Quebec must provide, but the means do not even allow them to be achieved.
It is good to remind our elected officials that there is no economy without natural resources, and that infinite economic growth on a planet with limited resources makes no sense. Life depends on clean water, fertile land, clean air.
Finally, despite the misleading messages from our leaders, let us act. Let’s decarbonize our lives: let’s avoid overconsumption, reduce our meat consumption, reduce our motorized transport, get our savings out of fossil fuels, transform our businesses from the inside.
Let’s get informed, get involved, fight for the protection of life and the implementation of structuring societal measures. And above all, let’s vote for politicians who put the fight against climate change at the center of their program. The health and well-being of our children should be the only priority.
* The petitioners :
Cécile Roy, Mother at the South Shore front for Aude, Léandre, Flavie and all the children of the earth
Anne-Marie Chapleau, on behalf of the group of Mothers on the Saguenay front and for my granddaughters Daphne, Lily and Agathe.
Laure Waridel, mother at the Eastern Townships front, for Theodora, Alphée, Colin, Justine and all the children of the world
Clélia Sève, Mother at the Montreal front for Luce, Millie and the living
Denise Cloutier, mother at the Rouyn-Noranda front, for Emile and Charles and Salomé and Émilie
Elsa Moreau, Mother on the Quebec City front for Ophélie. Héloïse and their future children
Johanne Saucier MAF Arthabaska-Maple for Marie-Ève, Angélique, Évan and Kael
Marie-Hélène Cloutier, mother on the Laval front for Agathe and Raphaëlle
Louise Lacroix, Mother at the Montreal front for my unborn granddaughter and the generations to come
Josée Barlow, mother at the Baie-des-Chaleurs front, for Nathan, Émie and Elyo Bujold
Dominique Forget, mother at the Sherbrooke front, for Alexis and Mathis
Marie-Claude Brouillette, Mother at the Front Les Moulins for Étienne and Jérôme
Catherine Beauce, Mother at the St-Jean-sur-Richelieu front for Nikki and Anthony
Lysanne Villemure, mother at the front for Romi and baby to come
Carole Mainville, Grandmother at the front for Clarence and all the children in the world
Lise Gagnon, Mother at the front Montreal for the living
Marianne Picard, Mother on the South Shore front of Montreal for Marie-Lys Bélisle and hundreds of students
Claude Hamel, mother at the Brome-Missisquoi front for Étienne, Alice, Maxime and Ariane.
Louise Condrain, grandmother at the South Shore front for Alix, Loïc, Émile, Élisabeth, Gabriel, Esmée and Alexis
Amelie Bousquet, Mother on the South Shore front for Clara and Dimitri
Arielle Drissen Mother at the Sherbrooke front for Lodrik and Sanaé
Marie-Hélène Joannette Cartier, mother on the Quebec front for Céleste
Marie-Andrée Foucreault-Therrien MAF of the Eastern Townships for Gabrielle, Raphaelle, Marie-Soleil and Audrey
Clémence Roy-Darisse, mother at the Front Montreal for all the children in the world
Stéphanie Burelle, Mother at the Montreal Front for Henri
Brigitte Hannequin, Mother on the Quebec Front, for Catherine, Gabrielle and Geneviève
Danielle Dansereau, mother on the Eastern Townships front, for Thomas, Noémi, Amy, Léonie, Théodore, Bettina, Anaïs, Léopold and Basile
Louise Morel MAF Canton de l’Est for Sarah-Ève, Béatrice. Benjamin
Valérie Nault for Émy, Éloi and Hubert
Johanne Saucier for Marie-Ève, Angélique, Évan and Kael
Rosemary Gagné for Zephyr
Julie-Ève Proulx for Malik, Raphaëlle and Guillaume
Marie Claude Goudreault for Matéo and Zaya
Audrey Larochelle for Alfred
Shanelle Raby for Lovanie
Jocelyne Alarie, Mother on the Eastern Townships front for Annie, Aymeric and Didier
Valérie Nault MAF Arthabaska-Maple for Émy, Éloi and Hubert
Mylène Roy, Mother at the front Montreal for all our children and for the living
Caroline Létourneau, Mother at the Front Montreal for all the children on the planet
Rosemary Gagné MAF Arthabaska-Maple for Zéphyr
Julie-Ève Proulx MAF Arthabaska-Maple for Malik, Raphaëlle and Guillaume
Marie Claude Goudreault MAF Arthabaska-Maple for Matéo and Zaya
Audrey Larochelle MAF Arthabaska-Maple for Alfred
Shanelle Raby MAF Arthabaska-Maple for Lovanie
Carole Singher, mother at the Laval front for my sons: Charles and Ugo Dionne
Julie Métivier mother at the front of Mothers at the south shore front for my daughters, my nephews and my little cousins
Sylvie Cantin, grandmother at the front for Jérémie and Éliane
Marie Motte, Mother at the South Shore Front, for Zoé and Maud
Mothers at the Temiscouata Front for Marie-Laure and Simon
Sophie Devost, Mothers at the Front of the Eastern Townships for all the children of Frelighsburg
Claire Moran, Mother at the front Montreal for my children and ALL the children
Julie Kalt, Mother at the Montreal front for Léa and Thomas
Marise Mathieu, mother at the front in Rosemère and surroundings for William, Léo, Noémie, Ophélie and Romane.
Sophie Daunais-Ouimet, Mother at the front of Rosemère and surroundings for Olive and Pauline.
Marie-Josée Racine, mother at the Baie-des-Chaleurs front for Adam, Éloi and Adélie
Maryève Charland-Lallier for Émi and Méo
Marie-Eve Bégin, mothers at the Baie-des-Chaleurs front for Evan and Kaël
Mireille Elchacar, mother at the Sherbrooke front for Albert and Alexandra
Jena Webb, Mother at the front of Rosemère and the surrounding area for Emerik, Mikaël, Joakim and all the children
Chantal Archambault, Mother at the Montreal Front for Olive
Kareen Guillaume, Mother at the Montreal Front for Oscar and the Living
Sylvie Van Brabant, Katharine Cukier, Geneviève Chagnon, Sarah Brown, Emmanuelle Trépanier, Sophie Dansereau, Julie Tremblay, Cathia Pagotto, Mothers at the front Montreal for our children and the living
Geneviève Piché, mother at the Les Moulins front for Marie Tremblay
Lise Larouche Mother at the Saguenay front for Thomas
Johanne Alarie, MAF from Rouyn-Noranda, for Paulin and Maude
Stéphanie Couture, Mother at the Montreal Front for Édouard and Camille
Emilie Robert, mother at the Rouyn-Noranda front, for Jeanne and Hugo
Stéphanie K/Bidi, Mother at the Front – South Shore, for Céliane and Damien
Julie Côté, Aunt on the Rouyn-Noranda front, for Layla, Marley, Clovis and Léonie
Edith Smeesters, Eastern Townships MAF, for Antoine, Florence, Vincent, Alex, Olivia, Alice and Nellie
Julie Tremblay, mother at the front of Simone and Édouard and for the living