Dear Editor:
Our political leaders seem to be focused on unending economic growth at the expense of the environment, a message already stated by Greta Thunberg.
Mass immigration to this country is contributing to emissions while lining the pockets of the rich and keeping the politicians in power, leading to disaster in our environment and financial system.
We have put millions of additional cars on the road, built houses over good farmland, increased our use of wood, water, concrete, other resources and increased garbage. All of these require the use of fossil fuels.
At the same time we pull out all the fence lines, push down the bush and burn it for more farmland, sound like Brazil? Mass immigration is about the rich like developers and about the government collecting more taxes. It is said we need a bigger workforce but I see no new jobs being created. Studies have shown that immigration is costing us money by driving down wages (less income tax) while driving up prices for goods and the need for more schools and hospitals. Our debt is absolutely staggering from this!
Our political parties have little or no plan to meet the requirements of the Paris agreement for climate change. I find it laughable that Justin Trudeau marches in the climate strikes to protest his own failed policies. Trudeau has made a promise to plant two billion trees in our country; my question is where?
There are a tremendous wealth of new technologies being developed to deal with the carbon issue and yet the country is not investing in them with our carbon tax. The tax is instead being used to safeguard us somehow of the coming disaster; this cannot be achieved in any way, shape or form!
Grants could be provided to help us reduce our emissions by buying hybrids or installing geothermal heating, etc. but none have been provided or they are limited. Better yet, what about some laws to reduce emissions, like curtailing flight travel or limiting the packaging industry or reducing driving for unnecessary items?
We are already in a mass extinction just like Greta told and it is a crying shame that we bury our heads in the sand and rely on a child to tell us so. Trees are dying, birds are disappearing, insects and bees are disappearing, our emissions are increasing and yet all we can talk about is economic growth.
Geoff Ash,
Centre Wellington