Editor:
On Feb. 22, the Sunshine Coast Regional District officially declared a climate crisis. The declaration follows similar announcements by governments across Canada and around the world. On first glance, it may seem like a statement of the obvious. After all, droughts, heat domes, raging wildfires, and atmospheric rivers are ample testimony to the havoc and damage caused by climate change.
However, the declaration is more than symbolic. It commits the SCRD “to protecting our community, ecosystems and economy from global warming.” A companion motion calls on the SCRD to develop policies and initiate actions to respond to the climate emergency. To that end, the motion calls for the SCRD’s Community Climate Action Plan to be reviewed and voted on at a special meeting of the Board.
As citizens, we should welcome this commitment to action and make certain that the SCRD honours its promise. As taxpayers, we should also ask how our Sunshine Coast governments plan to pay for the rising costs of climate change.
Currently, we are footing the bill for those damages locally, while corporations that spew greenhouse gas emissions – particularly the oil and gas business – reap profits. Will the SCRD move to hold those polluters accountable?
Anthony Paré
SCRD, Area E.
