Climate Talks Heating Up!

It’s gettin’ hot in here………..

As some of you have likely noticed, there’s been a lot of talk about climate change in the news from the Climate Summit of the Americas conference held in Toronto to the Pope’s encyclical on caring for our common home.

After taking part in what proved to be a fantastic learning experience at The Climate Reality Project’s Leadership Training with Al Gore in Toronto last weekend, I can confidently say I’m ready to raise my voice about this issue. Having studied climate change for years, preaching to those who couldn’t care less – I now feel confident enough in the approach I take to deliver the message.

Not only did we learn a lot pertaining to climate change, but I met so many amazing people from all over the world.

So what was the take away? The evidence is overwhelming. Ontario has demonstrated its’ leadership and commitment to address climate change through many actions, such as:

• Ending coal-fired electricity generation (equivalent to taking seven million vehicles off the road!)
• Meeting Ontario’s 2014 greenhouse gas emission reduction target of six percent below 1990 levels
• Introducing a cap and trade program to impose a hard ceiling on the amount of greenhouse gas pollution allowed across the economy and linking to carbon markets in Quebec and California
• Hosting the Climate Summit of the Americas conference from July 7-9 which served as a pivotal platform to advance sub-national leadership and collaborative action on climate change leading up to the global climate agreement in Paris this December

For the complacent people for whom climate change is not a major issue – it won’t just mean colder winters, hotter summers, and rising oceans; it will also affect your stomach. How much do you really care about your food? ‘Cause pretty soon we’ll have trouble growing enough food to eat.

If you think climate change needs to be a priority of our political leaders, then take a stand at LiveEarth.org

Much Love!

MK