Everybody knows that Donald Trump is the accidental president.
Andrew Cohen, Ottawa Citizen, 2018 October 10
Accidental governance: resiliency required
The Kyoto Protocol was an accidental agreement for Canada. It became obvious within a very few years to Ottawa Citizen cartoonist Cam[i] that the Canadian government simply did not understand — it was not competent.
The Paris Accord is equally an accidental agreement. Even the governments of Canada that subscribe to the targets still do not understand the nature and extent of the economic, social, and technological pathways involved. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have already hit the 30% target. But this country of ten provinces and three territories cannot as a whole in practice meet the commitments made in Paris in 2015 and subsequently, not close and certainly not by 2030 [ii]. The last time that Canada emitted the current government’s target of a reduction of at least 40% between 2005 and 2030 was 1971. The population in 2022 is almost twice that of 1971 and the GDP in constant dollars 3 ½ times higher.
Canada is not alone. Even countries that have made some progress are struggling. Since Canada and other nations are failing, the number one issue becomes fostering resiliency to adapt to inevitable change. In fact, it should have been the number one issue from the beginning. It is the strongest possible political driver for reduction of emissions, appealing to local and national interests.
Many citizens of Canada understand and grasp the looming consequences of this issue for younger Canadians and future generations, and for citizens of other countries, especially the global south. A conference of the Group of 78 in Ottawa in October 2018 on reduction of emissions is but one example of the understanding and competence of citizens and organisations. The Group of 78 in 2021 addressed the other side of the coin: how to develop resiliency to deal with the inevitable consequences of global warming, at home and abroad.
One cannot expect any change in the scientific and technological literacy of parliaments, but we can demand attention to an existential issue. The question for informed and concerned citizens is how to enable decision-makers and influencers to understand that global warming is indeed an existential issue — a matter ultimately of survival — and address the matter competently.
Canada has missed the train on reducing emissions in a timely manner. It is not too late to begin making substantial efforts to become more resilient — to adapt — on Canadian territory and in Canadian support to other nations. And Canada must at the same time begin to effectively at reduce its national emissions.
Carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases occupy the global atmosphere, not just the atmosphere above Canadian territory. The control of acid rain required effective international collaboration on a continental scale, in North America and in Europe. Control of GHG emissions requires collaboration on a global scale. It is therefore a federal responsibility to lead effectively on global heating. It has taken far too long for the federal government to lead. It should take a leaf out of its truckers’ book, where it did eventually do its federal duty and control the occupation of Ottawa.
John Hollins
2021 October 2, revised 2022 March 4
[i] Cameron Cardow
[ii] Pathways to reducing Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, https://canadiancor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Pathways-Formal-Report-V2.0.pdf
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