The new Conservative government is planning to cut the funding for climate change programmes in Canada by 80%. Read the cover story in today's Globe and Mail.
The politics of climate change in Canada are complex -- the previous government signed an agreement and took very little action, leaving the country in a quandry. But this is colossally stupid. Write a letter. Call your MP.
The process actually began a couple weeks back, when the One Tonne Challenge (OTC) - favourite of mine - was quietly, well, quieted. Regardless of your political orientation, your feelings about climate change or your hatred of the TV ads, killing the OTC is dumb, dumb, dumb. The OTC is a simple, easy way to promote and encourage activities that would reduce emissions and improve air quality. Most importantly, it was cheap. Cancelling a program like this is not about balancing the budget -- it won't make a dent in the budget -- it is about politics.
Was the OTC having a huge impact? Perhaps more than it seemed -- the OTC was starting to inspire grassroots efforts around the country. Just type "One Tonne Challenge" into Google and you'll see.
had no idea OTC was cancelled; yes, the ads were annoying, but that's still shocking the program was cancelled.
ReplyDeletewhat was the reason they claimed?
It was not flat-out cancelled, but the OTC office was informed the program that it funds will no longer be supported.
ReplyDeleteThe OTC was always contentious, because it involved a large expenditure on public advertising not so easy in the wake of the sponsorship scandal. That made the program a political punching bag for the anti-Kyoto crowd.