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Tag: climate change
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The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
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The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
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This content is restricted to subscribers
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
This content is restricted to subscribers
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
This content is restricted to subscribers
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
The 2022 Ontario provincial election is just around the corner. The major party leaders will have to come up with policy and campaign on issues that haven’t ever been relevant in other election cycles. This will be the first election since COVID-19 began.
The issue of Climate Change has proven to change our lives over the past four years. We’ve seen it in federal elections, in 2019 and 2021, if a party didn’t put forward a serious enough climate plan they didn’t win Government. That also is likely going to prove to be relevant in the 2022 Ontario provincial election. No party will be able to win Government if they don’t put forward a justifiable climate plan.
In 2018, there were some flaws in some of the parties’ climate plans, but ultimately voters decided. This time, climate policy will be even more important than it was in 2018. The various parties haven’t largely discussed their plans yet, and probably won’t do so until we’re in campaign mode. This may prove to be beneficial, some of the parties may be waiting a little while longer to see what voters would like to see in a party’s climate plan. The plans of the various parties will need to be bold, different, and unique. People are starting to live with the effects of climate change such as wildfires which are obviously displacing people from their homes, and causing other issues.
Although climate change will be a very relevant and pressing issue, there will be numerous other issues, that will be important. The Ontario Liberal Party, Ontario NDP, and Ontario Green Party, all underperformed what they were hoping to do in 2018, which was of course to form the Government. This means all the opposition parties, will need to probably change some of their ideas from the 2018 election campaign. The 2018 election campaign, was of course unprecedented, with the seat count won by the Liberal Party falling much below what they had hoped for. This election the Ontario NDP and Ontario Green Party, will need to campaign differently given that they now have to face the rise of the Ontario Liberal Party, once again. In order for that to happen, they will all need to put forward a serious and credible plan to get us out of COVID-19.
The three opposition parties have been talking throughout the pandemic about what they would’ve done differently. They will need to echo the things they’ve been saying over the past two years during the election campaign. The Ontario Liberal Party has a fresh slate of candidates in many ridings, candidates who are young, diverse, and ready to lead. However, that doesn’t mean the other parties don’t. The Ontario PC Party and the current Government, have also shown to take youth representation seriously. They’ve appointed the youngest Provincial Environment Minister.
The idea of youth representation will also be important, no leader will be able to win without showing and explaining their plans to youth across Ontario. The youth demographic is becoming bigger, every election cycle and that includes this time around. In order for parties to win over the support of youth, they need to do things like have a credible climate plan as well as a plan to exit COVID-19. The past two years have been tough on youth and their mental health and that’s why it’ll be important for the various party leaders to show that they care about the youth voting demographic.
Wyatt Sharpe is a 13 year old journalist and host of The Wyatt Sharpe Show. Wyatt resides in Clarington, Ontario.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
This content is restricted to subscribers
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
Unfortunately for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his grand plans to battle climate change will inevitably run into a massive roadblock.
And that roadblock is this: in order to save mother nature, he’ll first have to overcome human nature.
My point is, even though battling climate change is a trendy and popular issue with global elites in general and with a certain precocious Swedish teenager in particular, actually implementing a plan to stop global warming will eventually run counter to every human being’s innate desire to look out for number one.
Simply put, when it comes to priorities, people will put their own immediate interests ahead of saving the planet.
Yes, I know that sounds cynical, but it’s true.
In fact, we saw an example of this recently in the United States when gas prices at the pump were rampaging out of control.
To a committed environmentalist, of course, super-high gas prices are a welcome development since it means people will be forced to consume fewer fossil fuels, which, in theory, will help stop climate change.
This is the reason, for instance, why Prime Minister Trudeau is enacting carbon taxes; he wants to “nudge” us to drive less and eventually to buy solar powered cars.
But predictably, high gas prices enraged American consumers, who apparently were not up on the latest climate change theories.
In other words, very few Americans actually said something like, “Hey, I’ll need a small bank loan to fill up my car, isn’t that great for the planet. I’m so happy!”
Indeed, so great was the anger in America that US President Joe Biden — who like Trudeau fancies himself as an eco-warrior – decided to tap into the country’s strategic oil reserves so he could flood the market with 50 million barrels of toxic fossil fuels.
Seems his rapid drop in the polls somehow made gas seem less dangerous to the environment.
Score: Human nature 1, Planet 0
At any rate, if gas prices in Canada massively surge thanks to Trudeau’s carbon taxes, he could find himself in a similar pickle as Biden.
As Canadian pollster Darrell Bricker recently noted on Twitter: “What we are seeing in our Ipsos polling. Inflation coming up like a bullet as a concern for Canadians. It’s personal and intense. COVID, climate, other issues dropping. Rearranging of public priorities has the potential to sideswipe best laid plans of governments and businesses.”
Also, human nature is at work in other countries.
For example, I strongly doubt countries with emerging economies will totally embrace the fight against climate change if doing so means their poor will have to remain poor.
This is especially true for China.
As American political humorist P. J. O’Rourke once succinctly put it, “There are 1.3 billion people in China, and they all want a Buick.”
Score: Human nature 2, Planet 0
Finally, we also have to consider the human nature of those political leaders who are pushing climate change initiatives.
Will they lead by example?
The answer to that question is likely a resounding “No!”
After all, politicians tend to come from the “Do as I say, not as I do” school of leadership.
To see what I mean, just consider the “leadership” former Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips exhibited during the COVID crisis.
I’m sure you remember the whole sordid story.
Last Christmas season, all the while his government was urging Ontarians to stay home for the holidays to help stop the spread of COVID, Phillips decided to secretly fly off to the Caribbean to enjoy a nice warm vacation.
Then there’s the example of Trudeau, who couldn’t resist the urge to go surfing in British Columbia on “Truth and Reconciliation Day” — a time when all Canadians were supposed to somberly reflect upon the historic grievances of Canada’s aboriginal communities.
The bottom line is politicians love the perks of office, and they’ll not give them up lightly.
What that means is we can expect the same leaders, who lecture us about the need to drive less and to lower our thermostats in the dead of winter, will continue to fly around the world in private jets and holiday in tropical climates.
Score: Human Nature 3, Planet 0.
Needless to say, open displays of climate hypocrisy will generate resentment among the general population which usually leads to bad things for leaders.
Just ask Marie Antionette.
Anyway, this is why unless Trudeau can find a way to change human nature, which is a million years in the making, his climate change plans will be guaranteed to run into serious turbulence.
Mind you, a lot of people in this country might get a kick out of seeing Trudeau fail, even if it means we’re all hit with more global warming.
Keep in mind, the joy of gloating is just a part of human nature.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
