Alex Tyrrell Comments on IPCC Report

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This week the intergovernmental panel on climate change published it’s latest report on the state of global climate. As you may have guessed the report paints a dire picture of the current state of the environment and what may happen if we continue our current trajectory of overconsumption, particularly with respect to fossil fuels. 

The report is unequivocal – extreme weather events are rapidly intensifying , global temperatures and sea levels are continuing to rise because of us. Things will get much, much worse if we do not take bold and meaningful action to reduce emissions now – something the Green Party has been demanding for decades. 

The positive news is that many countries have committed (in theory) to reducing emissions. This is great, but we have seen country after country fail to meet their own targets year after year. Talking points and lip service will do absolutely nothing to reduce emissions. We need strong policies now, binding international climate agreements which include sanctions when targets are not met and a drastic reduction of consumption of fossil fuels, plastic and consumer goods. 

Our current path is unsustainable. We need to take action now. The barriers to collective success in this fight are essentially consumer culture and weak politicians who say they care about the environment but then pursue the very policies that are destroying it. 

The main obstacle to progress on these issues is political. That is what has led me to political engagement rather than working on technology and environmental science which I respectively studied in college and university. Politics is where the decisions are made. If you want to make a difference in this battle do anything you can to increase political pressure on governments so that they take concrete action before it’s too late. This includes becoming involved with and/or running for office with the Green Party of Quebec in the next year’s provincial election. 

Alex Tyrrell

Leader of the Green Party of Quebec

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