Less than 40 percent of youth-led climate organizations have paid staff, according to FES, even though 72 percent of Canadians agree with the demands of the youth-led climate movement. Climate will no doubt be a major issue in this federal election — with climate emergencies, from wildfires to flooding, spreading around the world — so support for those who will inherit the worst of climate change is pertinent.
Communities forced to move away from fossil fuel industries for their local economy will see major social change if a transition plan doesn’t take social well-being, the identity of workers, and mental health services into account.
Indigenous communities play an important role in Canada’s climate policy. Without their meaningful participation in climate action by governments and the social impact sector, Indigenous leaders cannot bring their ideas to bear on a crisis that disproportionately affects them.
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.
