The people who are most responsible for climate change are least impacted by it, and those who are most impacted have contributed the least to creating the crisis. If social impact organizations’ climate action doesn’t take this into account, it’s not only tone-deaf, but it’s ineffective.
Municipalities create 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions produced in Canada. They also control much of the country’s economic development, greenspace allocation, and other major areas of opportunity for climate action. Informed and engaged local citizens could mean massive gains toward a brighter climate future.
Canada’s Prairie region has been hit hard by climate change. It’s experienced 13 of Canada’s 20 most damaging weather related events since 1983. A central hub for data and tools to help governments, businesses and people adapt could be necessary for the region’s making it through the next few decades.
The impact climate change has on human health is far from abstract. Rising temperatures, new diseases, and a decline in the ozone layer could significantly impact the health of Canadians. Health focused social impact organizations must adapt to the realities of the climate crisis.
Humanitarian work has climate impacts. Nearly all of the transportation, logistical, and power generation required to keep a field hospital operational depends on fossil fuel use. Not addressing these issues — especially as more people suffer from the effects of climate change — is antithetical to the principles of international aid.