Copenhagen brain squeeze: Day 2
Okay, so 64 per cent of Canadian respondents to a new survey believe that industrialized nations should have more ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions than developing countries. Most want to see a binding agreement result from Copenhagen, and 81 per cent said Canada needs to make its own commitments independent of what the United States decides to do. Another poll conducted last week found that two-thirds of Canadians see climate change as the planet’s defining crisis.
The position of most Canadians couldn’t be farther apart than the position of their federal government. Britain’s Prime Minister, meanwhile, is intent on raising the bar on action.
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
“The position of most Canadians couldn’t be farther apart than the position of their federal government.”
Agreed. Here’s something we can do to try and change that:
Between December 11th and 14th, Canadians will be organizing and attending events across the country to send a clear message: The world wants a real deal. That means a climate agreement that is fair, ambitious and binding. Rallies in support of a real deal are being held in major cities in Canada and around the world on December 12th as part of the Global Day of Action.
There are currently over 300 actions scheduled to take place in Canada. To find one in your community, visit http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/action/events/real-deal.php#map and click on the map.
For those of you located in the Toronto area, check out the PLANET FIRST – PEOPLE FIRST! seal the deal in Copenhagen rally.
When: 3pm – 7:30pm, December 12, 2009
Where: University of Toronto, Earth Sciences Building, 33 Wilcocks Street, Toronto.
Description: Climate Action Network Canada is partnering with the Toronto Climate Campaign to host an indoor rally from 3pm to 5.30pm. The indoor rally will include speakers, bands, face-painting, and live report backs from representatives attending the Copenhagen treaty negotiations. People will also have the opportunity to write a personal message stating what they want the world’s leaders to agree to in Copenhagen on a massive 8-foot-high 10-foot-long wall. Following the event, from 6pm to 6:45pm we will march with candles to Queens Park, University and Wellesley Avenues, Toronto, Ontario M5H2N2.
At 7pm we will hold a candlelit vigil at Queens Park, Toronto.
The event is cosponsored by the Toronto Climate Campaign.