COP 26



As COP26 gets underway in Glasgow we’ve been thinking about reducing our carbon footprint here at home. Getting around town and heating our homes seem to be the biggest slices of our personal carbon pie. What can we do? What can governments do to make it happen?

Switching to Electric cars is on everyone’s mind. First we need to learn some new terms like EV, PEV, PHEV and HEV. We need to think about charging the vehicle at home and, ultimately, how much carbon was produced making the electricity and the batteries going into the car. Maybe we can leave that new EV plugged in at the GO station and take the train in to see that Leafs game?

At home we can improve our windows, furnaces and insulation with a bit of help from the government. We can turn the thermostat down and replace incandescent lighting with LEDs. Maybe we can capture a little more carbon by planting a tree in that barren piece of grass or replacing that dilapidated old fence with a row of cedars?

All of this sounds reasonable so what’s the hold up? Well there aren’t that many EVs available just yet, they are expensive and there is nowhere to plug them in. The trains don’t run for Leafs games anyway. Insulating the house sounds great but it is still a big outlay of cash. Planting trees sounds nice but they are expensive and I don’t know what species fits that spot.

That’s where governments come in. We need to look at their past records. Liberals say a lot and do little. Conservatives stopped Ontario’s electric auto incentive and ripped out charging stations. And we need to look at what they say they will do in the coming years. The Liberals are having a town hall on the environment. That’s it? They want to talk about the economy, not the environment. The Conservatives. They are also all about growing the economy. They want to expand natural gas pipelines and keep the oil flowing.

It’s clear that when it comes to actually doing something to mitigate climate change and reduce carbon emissions, the Ontario NDP is the best choice. The first word in the title of the ONDP platform is “climate”. Climate, Jobs, Justice, a Green New Democratic Deal spells out how we can look after the economy, jobs, health care, indigenous peoples and so much more while focussing on the environment.

Let's put the fight to the same old - same old next year and elect an NDP government in Ontario. You can help make the Green New Deal a reality now by supporting your local NDP riding association with a donation. We need your help to make sure the back room boys and corporate interests don’t fool Ontario citizens yet again.

#ondp #greennewdeal #climatechange #cop26 #cleanenergytransition

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