Dear Editor:
On November 11, reflecting on the monumental sacrifices that Canadian soldiers have made over the past hundred years, I couldn’t help but think how desperately we have failed them. What would they be thinking, now that we – in the face of massive and still growing scientific evidence – are stumbling so badly in making our own sacrifices to fight climate change?
This was – and to a large extent still is – a winnable war, but we’ve too often excused our foot dragging by pleading helplessness or ‘far too great an economic cost’ to go green. In war, it’s mainly the young who are thrown in harm’s way. That’s also true when it comes to man-made climate change, with one key difference. The cartoon character Pogo hit the nail on the head back on the first Earth Day in 1971: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Time is getting short to stop runaway global warming, yet we have all the tools – right now! – needed to move past fossil fuels and get back on the right track.
Will we finally live up to the example of Canadian soldiers sacrificing their lives so we could enjoy a free, safe and stable world? Or will children, grandkids and all our descendants bitterly resent us for our lack of gumption when we had the chance to make a difference? It’s our choice…and their fate.
Liz Armstrong