Climate change is one of the key challenges of our time, but it seems to have dropped off people’s radar in the last year or so. Are people simply overwhelmed by the enormity of the issue, or have the big emitters of greenhouse gases managed to convince people that climate isn’t happening? Maybe it’s a bit of both, and that’s truly unfortunate.
Denying that climate change is happening is not going to make it go away. It will only make things worse in the long run. We need to recognize that climate change is occurring and turn quickly to energy sources that don’t emit the greenhouse gases responsible for the problem. The signs that climate change is occurring are there for all to see.
The coming century is going to be a crucial one for humankind, and if we hope to survive as a species we must make the change to energy sources that are clean, renewable and sustainable.
We can rise to the challenge climate change and show ourselves to be the infinitely adaptable, clever species we’ve proven to be throughout history and pre-history. Or we can become the dodo birds of the twenty-first century. The choice is ours, and I know which choice I will make. How about you?
Pamela Gardner, Burnaby
