Climate Change Adaptation makes common sense[1]
Thank goodness. Someone is thinking that there must be a better way to address climate change than throwing money at it. Even Canada throwing money at climate change has not solved dick. Trudeau and his buddies have already committed us to more than $200 billion, and what have we got?
If we continue to do what we have always done, we will get what we have always got; and in the case of dealing with climate change, no targets have we got.
And what are we staring in the face in a couple of days? An attempt to mitigate climate change and more of what we have always got; more money out of our pockets to fight climate change the Trudeau way – to mitigate our activities by forcing us economically to cut back. The new Carbon Tax 2 is nothing more than a penalty for all sinners who have to use cars, eat food, heat their homes and do all the things everyday folks in Canada do daily.
And what does it get us? It puts us deeper in debt; more people will lose their homes, face greater food and heating insecurity, and we will see the amount of CO2 emitted increase.
Does that mean we should give up and do nothing? I did not suggest that, and absolutely not. But there is a better and much less expensive way. In the whole scheme of things, if a solution is unsuitable for the People or the Planet and not sustainable, then it is not a good solution. A good solution, measured against the principles of a Circular Economy, those I mentioned above, is possible. However, it may not be political – but then, who supports political decisions as being good?
What is Mitigation?
The path we are on today is one of Mitigation of Climate Change. Mitigation is reducing greenhouse gasses, which we have seen is extremely difficult on a worldwide basis, and with Canada emitting about 1/10th of one percent of the world’s total, no matter what we do will not have much of an impact.
Trudeau’s approach is taxing us to mitigate climate change impacts by forcing us to cut back.
What is the Alternative?
The alternative is to adapt to climate change. Adapting to climate change would be far more significant when it comes to improving the daily lives of Canadians. Adaptation brings the impacts on people into the equation, and that is a good thing.
Adaptation means pursuing sensible policies that make public and private infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of severe weather, no matter how it’s caused.
Adaptation would mean upgrading storm and sanitary sewers, stricter building codes, banning urban development on coastlines, in flood plains and heavily forested areas, planting trees, preserving wetlands and keeping roads, bridges, public transit, dams, dikes, berms and spillways in a state of good repair.
Adaptation is the opposite of mitigation, the justification for Prime Minister Trudeau’s carbon tax and other policies taxing us to death.
How to Address Those Suggesting “Adaptation” is Giving Up?
Just like the NIMBYs, we have the nay-sayers in every backyard. We can continue to do what we have always done, taxed to death, which has not worked or try something different. There is no question that infrastructure in Canada needs upgrading, and one only has to look at all those homes in Richmond, BC, to know that possibly zoning should not have allowed them to be built there. And the forest-urban interface is expanding with the consequence of putting more people and more homes at risk of fires in the forest.
There are things we can do today to adapt our lives to climate change, and what is wrong with that? All the while looking at sane policies and costs that will help mitigate the impacts.
Government of Canada and Small Steps
The issue of adaptation or mitigation may not have made much traction to date, but give credit where credit is due; Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced a federal, provincial and territorial governments’ agreement on a national adaptation policy to climate change and they have earmarked about $6.5 billion since 2015 to adaptation, compared to a total budget of $200 billion trying to mitigate climate change.
The expenditures for the past eight years show where the emphasis has been, but small steps to change what we have always done are good steps.
All the best from all of us at Facts that Matter.
Facts that Matter is part of a boutique firm in Vancouver, Canada, working to do the world a world of good by promoting truth in government and by assisting business and First Nations to address their social, environmental, and economic interests through the lens of a Circular Economy.
Contact us today to discuss how we may help you to achieve your goals towards doing the world a world of good implementing actions that are good for the people, for the planet and are profitable and sustainable.
[1] Toronto Sun (June 27, 2023. Link to the Article
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