By: Louise Brownlee, Co-Chair of GASP (Grandmothers (and others) Act to Save the Planet)
My name is Louise Brownlee – I am co-chair of GASP.
October 1st is traditionally Seniors Day. Some people visit their grandparents. But this year, 70 groups of Seniors are taking to the streets and celebrating the launch of a national Seniors for Climate community.
We have three messages:
#1 We are experiencing more unnatural disasters. The main cause is burning fossil fuels which produces heat trapping gases.
All over the world, the heating of our atmosphere is supersizing storms, floods and droughts. On July 16, the Greater Toronto Area received in 3 hours the amount of rain normally received in a month. In Halton, the rain caused basement flooding in nearly 2,000 homes. Expensive clean-up for fellow residents. Where we are meeting today, just behind the library, flooding waters washed a dock- with a dozen boats still attached – down 16 Mile Creek into Lake Ontario.
#2 – Don’t give up – there are many affordable solutions to this problem:
We can slow down the number of extreme weather disasters.
We have the solutions. Here are just a few:
- Ending fossil fuel subsidies and capping fossil fuel pollution – this is the biggy!
- Switching to safe and clean energy sources. The Economist predicts that by the mid 2030s, solar will be the biggest source of electrical power on the planet.
- Conserving energy by making our homes and buildings more efficient
- Protecting our forests and planting more trees
If you think these solutions are too expensive, just imagine the cost of doing nothing! More powerful floods, more days of extreme heat, threats to our food system. We are already seeing an increase in the price of food and home insurance.
#3 – The third message – as the song says: we need to start right now with bold action!!
There are 10 million Canadians over the age of 60. Seniors have the time and capacity that younger people with families and mortgages don’t have right now.
Our goal is to act Canada-wide and demonstrate the need for implementing solutions NOW.
Seniors show up to vote: a great message to all politicians. With our collective voice as part of a national Seniors for Climate movement, our kids and grandkids will inherit a better world. Love is a strong motivator!
We urge you to join the Seniors for Climate movement by signing the Seniors for Climate pledge. We need to elect politicians with a solid climate plan. This issue cannot be ignored. Later is too late!