It's time to change Canada's climate politics

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Published on Monday, 17 August 2015 13:30

Written by editor

Friends,

2015 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history, wildfires are sweeping Canada, and we’re in the midst of what might be the most important election campaign of my lifetime. On October 19th, people across Canada will head to the polls and then, just a few weeks later, hundreds of world governments will meet in Paris to try to strike a global climate agreement.

In Paris our governments are supposed to agree on a shared target for climate action, and then propose national plans to meet that goal -- but the numbers just aren’t adding up. Everything being discussed will allow too many communities that have polluted the least to be devastated by floods, rising sea levels and other disasters.

This has the makings of a global failure of ambition -- and in no small part because of Canadian politicians. The science is clear – we need to leave... 85% of tar sands in the ground to bring Canada in line with our global climate obligations, but no political party in Canada has a plan to get us there.

We need to change climate politics in Canada with unprecedented mobilizing that starts today and only heats up when the election ends.

Here’s the plan.

• First, we’re going to take our demand for more ambitious climate leadership straight to the party leaders by working all across Canada to crash campaign events and demand climate policies that respect the principles of justice and science.
• As momentum starts to grow, we’ll work with partner across Canada to hit the streets. Our growing numbers will demand action by connecting the dots between tar sands pipelines, Indigenous rights, fair and just immigration policies, extreme weather, the need for good, sustainable jobs -- and the failure of politicians to present ambitious policies to build an economy that works for people and the planet.
• Then, as election day draws closer, we’ll launch a plan for a bold action in Ottawa after the election – a sort of “Climate Welcoming Committee” to greet our new government and lay out the true test of their climate leadership ahead of the Paris talks.

This summer and fall could be a turning point -- if we push for it. Click here to get involved.

The good news is that we won’t be alone. Today, 350.org is also launching a global platform for action - a “Road Through Paris”

First, in September we are launching a global framework to grow the movement before and after the Paris talks. On September 10th, Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein and others will be joined by global movement leaders in New York City to lay out our vision for the road ahead. Then, while we are taking action to change Canada’s climate politics, communities across the globe will hold Momentum Workshops to plan for the coming months of action around the globe.

The talks in Paris start on November 30th, and run for 2 weeks. But before the talks start – and after we’ve done our level best to push the Canada’s next government to make a bold commitment on climate – the world will stand together in a weekend of global action, paired with an enormous march in the streets of Paris. During the talks, 350's team on the ground will do their best to help keep you in the loop on the most important developments. And when the talks wrap up, we're planning a big action in Paris on December 12th to make sure the people -- not the politicians -- have the last word.

But most importantly, we won't stop there. I want you to mark your calendars for the month of April in 2016. That's when we will mobilize in a global wave of action unlike any we've seen before. Not one big march in one city, not a scattering of local actions -- but rather a wave of historic national and continent-wide mobilizations targeting the fossil fuel projects that must be kept in the ground, and backing the energy solutions that will take their place.

In the 6 years 350.org has been around, this is the most ambitious plan we've ever proposed. But ambition is what is called for, along with courage, faith in each other and the readiness to respond when disaster strikes, plans change, or politicians fail to lead.

The coming months are going to be intense, but if we act together we can change the direction that Canada is headed on climate. I hope you’ll join us.

Onwards,

Cam Fenton

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