Last week, Trudeau’s Environment Minister McKenna told CTV that the Liberal government is sticking with Harper’s embarrassing, science-free climate targets.
These are targets she herself has previously referred to as “unambitious” and “the floor, not the ceiling” of what Canada should be doing.
This comes from a government elected on promises to tackle the climate crisis and undo Harper’s destructive climate legacy.
“This news is nothing short of a disaster for the climate,” said Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party.
A next step in motivating governments and corporations to take the growing threat of an unstable climate seriously comes from the International Criminal Court which announced it will extend its focus on crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, to crimes against the environment.
The court may address the theft and exploitation of natural resources, contamination of the environment, and exploitation of resources requiring the unlawful ejection of peoples from their lands. Standing Rock North Dakota in the U.S and the Site C dam in British Columbia, among other locations, could fall under international regulation and criminal charges.
It’s terribly tragic that it must come to this.
Dona Grace-Campbell
Kaslo
