The voice of reason: Citizens more concerned with environment than politicians

This week, I would like to talk about citizen-led responses to environmental concerns.

The latest unnecessary election showed us that political leaders are more focused on bickering amongst themselves than coming up with real solutions for climate change:

• The Conservatives wouldn’t release actual greenhouse gas targets and real details about their Credit for Early Action Program and Offset System until later in the year, after the election season—who can say political interest?
• The Grits were so busy trying to clarify all the foggy details about their complicated Green Shift plan that they never actually managed to convince anyone.
• The NDP was trying to portray Layton as a man’s man who is concerned about jobs and kitchen tables, so they didn’t have any time left to devote to the environment.
• As for the Green party, well, they were pretty focused on getting the rest of their ideas out there.

But it seems like the ones really paying heed are citizens. Grassroots organizations focused on environmental change have been popping like mushrooms after the rain in the last few years, and many of them seem more qualified to make environmental decisions and policies than our actual politicians.

PowerUP, a new citizens-coalition intent on encouraging politicians to move towards smart climate change action, actually took the initiative and came up with some really creative campaign ideas to get politicians and the public thinking about green. They designed a bingo game with an environmental focus for viewers of the English leaders debate and even approached Chretien, one of the most beloved Canadian politicians, for endorsing their actions. They took the time to address all five political parties with questions about their environmental platform, and generally made a concerned effort to get themselves out there (for more information about PowerUP Canada, check out Andrew McMonagle’s article at http://www.uniter.ca/view.php?aid=40761).

Another interesting group with an environmental agenda is the Council of Canadians (CoC), and particularly Maude Barlow, their national chairperson.  After getting Canadians informed about the politics of water and the potential danger Canada’s great blues could be under when, and not if, the world start worrying about its water shortage, Barlow proceeded to the global stage. She now became the United Nations’ first senior adviser on water issue, working towards “a more democratic and transparent method of policy making around water at the global level,” as stated in a CoC press release. Maybe Barlow can bring to completion what the Manitoba provincial legislators have been unable, or the federal legislators unwilling.

These initiatives fill me with hope not only about the future of Canada and the world, but also about the employment prospects of our Environmental Studies graduates. In a society where citizen groups have more sense and power than political leaders, green employment opportunities are bound to be aplenty.