Editor:
Re: Phone, don’t fly next time, Nov. 13 letters
A recent letter suggested that our political leaders should express their commitment to control fossil fuel emissions by not flying all over the country.
I agree completely.
But then I thought, what about the likes of Andrew Scheer, Jason Kenney, Scott Moe, et al. who don’t appear to accept the science behind climate change, nor the urgency, and are quite happy to continue on the path of threatening life on the planet as we know it. Do they get a free pass?
But then I thought, there’s no need for any of these political leaders to fly either.
Every riding has local candidates. Isn’t it their job to represent the party? Plus we have televised debates, the internet, podcasts, etc.
Very easy for us voters to get the info we need.
And then I thought, all the political parties could take the money they would have spent on flights, hotels, and meals and donate it to some useful cause – maybe homelessness, child poverty. There are lots to choose from. It would be money well-spent.
And then I thought, the recent letter does not go far enough. Not only our politicians, but we all need to fly less.
Buy less.
And think about every action you take and ask yourself, can I do this in a less environmentally toxic way. Of course, with current technology, none of us can divorce ourselves from fossil fuels completely. And, one person alone cannot save the planet by changing their habits. And, I get it.
With, for example, some countries still building coal-fired power plants, are my efforts meaningless? At least fewer countries are doing so. Change is painfully slow. It will come.
Individually, we can only control what’s in our power, but if your efforts are part of the efforts of millions of individuals, that does make a difference.
These are thoughts from a 71-year-old who understands the science of climate change, sees the impact (hard not to), is very concerned for the younger generations and about what the future has in store for all of us.
Mark Dalton, Surrey