The snow is back! It’s happiness ; I take out my snowshoes and I walk in the whiteness, the peace and the beauty of the world.
Alas, my euphoria does not last long: on my little row in the countryside a big quad passes, then a snowmobile. How is it possible ?
It is because my municipality, like others in Quebec, adopted in the greatest discretion a by-law authorizing off-road vehicles (ORVs) to circulate on all municipal roads.
And this regulation is not just for residents and farmers, who need these vehicles to get around their land, but anyone.
How is it possible, in 2022, after COP26, when no one can ignore the reality of the climate crisis, to encourage the practice of motorized leisure activities, an activity which, apart from enriching a few, overall presents only disadvantages (danger, noise, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions – and zero physical activity)?
“But it is so the fun ! The noise, the speed, like when we were 12 years old! “
The problem is that we are no longer 12 years old. And it is the children who are now 12 years old who will suffer in a few years from the consequences of our irresponsibility and our common selfishness.
“Well there! We can’t even travel anymore because of COVID! Why do they want to deprive us of one of the only pleasures we have left? “
Why ? Because the time for recklessness has passed. The pandemic is linked to the climate crisis and the destruction of ecosystems. We are all responsible for it. We have all traveled too much, consumed too much, polluted too much, and it is time to take our responsibilities.
” What ? More sacrifices? ” Unfortunately, yes ! In Quebec, even though we are proud of our clean electricity, we are among the largest emitters of GHGs. We pollute twice as much as Europeans.
So, yes, sacrifices. Thoughtful sacrifices, accepted in solidarity with future generations and the inhabitants of other countries already affected by climatic disasters.
We have made sacrifices every day since the start of the pandemic. Sacrifices imposed by circumstances, that our leaders try as best they can to modulate so that the health situation remains manageable.
So what do we do ? We wonder, we educate ourselves, we try to reduce the carbon footprint of our activities, we reflect on our real needs, and above all, we wonder what is really important to us.
As far as I’m concerned, I’ve seen enough winters pass by to know what is really important to me: I’m going to snowshoe with my grandchildren, make them know and love the beauty of our Quebec more and more and share their joy of living. And I’m going to go and ask my municipality to cancel their stupid ORV by-law!