Dear Editor:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released this month has been a shock for us all.
What has packed a real punch is that the time for climate action is now. Our politicians must go to this year’s climate conference, COP26 in Glasgow, with clear and powerful statements about making the deepest emissions cuts.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made this statement in response to the IPCC report: “The solutions are clear. Inclusive and green economies, prosperity, clean air and better health are possible for all if we respond to this crisis with solidarity and courage … I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success.”
I hope we can all take this to heart, and have hope that our politicians will respond to our need for clean water, fresh air, and food that doesn’t slowly sicken us because it is grown with killer pesticides. If you haven’t felt that your voice is being heard, you can join one of the many environmental groups in your area, like Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) in Erin, Wellington Water Watchers in Guelph, Credit River Conservation in Wellington County. There are dozens of ways you can give your time and energy, and even though we are in the era of COVID-19, we can still communicate on Zoom, write letters to all our politicians, call them. Ask questions that will provoke them into thinking seriously about the future of our town, county, province, country, the planet!
I am at an age when I should be able to sit back and enjoy the flowers, my grandchildren, the love of friends and the kindness of neighbours, but as satisfying as that all is, I can’t help thinking about what my grandchildren will think when they are struggling to survive in a polluted world.
What will they think of me if I don’t let them know that I am working hard to protect them now…not giving them gifts that will become useless and irrelevant in a world that does not feed them, support them, and give them hope for the future because our generation has squandered the abundant resources of the planet to make veggie spiral cutters, watches that will tell us whether we are alive and functioning and plastic stickers for our oversized vehicles!
Gerry Walsh,
Erin