Re: Don’t view wildfires as an Interior problem, Record, Our View, Aug. 16.
I appreciate your view that we can all be part of the solution in fighting climate change. Wouldn’t it be great to see a non-partisan pull-together on climate change by politicians in collaboration with citizens, businesses, and industry as Canada’s strength is that we are a pull-together country.
The opinion piece talks about “travelling around this great province of ours.” In this time of dangerous climate change, road trips and the emissions of vehicles is a different conversation. There are signs and fines for littering the highway and keeping highways safe, but no signs or fines about invisible greenhouse gas emissions that are having a negative impact on the planet. I have immediate family in different provinces. I’m committed to reducing my own carbon footprint and find it challenging to visit with family for as little impact as possible; air travel, although cheaper than ever, has high emissions and is not always the best option for various reasons. Passenger rail is currently expensive and limited. We recently returned from Alberta and were caught in a traffic tie-up between Hinton and Jasper that took us four hours to get through in sweltering weather. On our way through B.C., on one of the steepest inclines on the Coquihalla, going in the opposite direction was a tailback of vehicles that stretched about five kilometres at a dead standstill because of construction; many of the vehicles idling, people trying to stay cool in air conditioning on an extremely hot day. There are more vehicles on the road than ever before and most still reliant on fossil fuels. Emissions are there regardless of the weather or time of year. I would love to be able to visit with my family or take a vacation across this huge, beautiful country without overt worry about my personal impact on the planet. It would be great to have a discussion about road trips and the 21st century challenge to decrease emissions and about the transition to a clean energy future, its infrastructure, and challenges.
We cannot talk about fire without thinking about our need and use of water as well as the impacts of climate change on other species. I never thought I would miss seeing slugs, and “ah” that rich humid smell on those wet, wet Pacific Coast days when rain fell straight out of the sky in the summer replenishing streams, lakes, and rivers; bringing water to all living things. I’m thirsty for more discussion about climate change.
Jane Popowich, New Westminster
