Whatever one does or doesn't do is collective action towards reducing emissions or not reducing emissions. There are people pulling in both directions and it is your action, not your intent or feelings that determines which side you are pulling on. We can't think or worry greenhouse gases away. We actually have to stop polluting.
More than half of Canadians are among the wealthiest 10% on Earth. On average, Canadians have bigger carbon footprints than those in 95–97% of other countries, including most other cold climate countries. Those with the means should be among the first to reduce our emissions.
But moral arguments aside, there are many economic and other benefits to reducing emissions. The new technologies are better, have co-benefits for health and well-being, are often economically competitive upfront or have payback periods leading to increased affordability.
And of course their collective adoption means we avoid passing on devastating social and economic costs too our children — the ones alive today — if you believe over 99% of the scientific research. It was never going to be ‘all or none.’ It was always going to be a wave of action and the wave, albeit a choppy one, is underway.
• Everyone's choices matter. As an individual, you are making choices with billions of other individuals.
• You aren't alone. You will never be the only one making changes for a better world and there are hundreds of millions of others who care and are willing to do something about the climate crisis however small.
• It's only a matter of time. For most of us, the question isn't whether we will be transitioning to a cleaner less polluting economy, but rather when and how quickly.
• Canadians have one of the largest per capital greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Your individual actions have a disproportionately large global impact.
• Even though we have clean and cheap electricity compared to other developed nations, we live carbon intensive lives and have a carbon intensive economy.
• Your impact will go beyond yourself. When people see others changing they are more likely to change too.
• People are more likely to act, more likely to talk about changes they are making, and more likely to elect and direct leaders who support and accelerate the needed change.
• Living in a developed country, you have more power to act than many in the global South.
• Living in a period of time where the door is closing on avoiding tipping points that will cause runaway climate change, you have more power to act than future generations that need you to act now.
• Other species need us to do it too.
• Systemic change requires individual action. Systemic change cannot happen without public support and businesses can't be successful in their efforts without the support of consumers.
• Governments can set the directions and conditions for change using policies, financial subsidies, investment and other incentives and financial disincentives like taxes and fines.
• And governments need businesses and civil society (all of us) to support and help implement the changes.
Insert stats here.
