Up in the Air: The Icarus Foundation Blog

Take a Stand, Exercise your Political Will

Anna Pollock

I am writing this several thousands of miles away from Canada. Sadly I am not in Bali but in Europe, from which vantage point it is less and less possible to ignore the way in which Canada's reputation for fairness, forward thinking and international diplomacy is being trashed so visibly by a Premier who can think only of his own self interest. The issue is no longer about left and right politics and shaming others; it is simply about taking the right action now. The western world has grown prosperous and mean spirited on the back of cheap oil and cheap credit. Both may be diminishing in supply and that will bring its own set of challenges and conflicts.

Right now, however, as Canadian citizens, we have a chance in Bali to do the right thing; to create a multilateral, multi-national agreement and, thereby, show that each of recognizes that nature knows no political boundaries. We're all in this together, rich and poor...., urban or rural, environmentalist or capitalist.

But our democratic rights are curtailed. Unless we petition our leaders between elections, they appear to be able to do what they wish or think they can get away with. many are cut off from voter sentiment by advisors, pundits, spin merchants. There's a small window available. Avaaz - a social network of concerned citizens invites Canadians to expres their concerns by signing a petition.

I reproduce their e-mail in full below. Click on Avaaz above or the first link in their email below to get to the petition form quickly.

Dear friends,

Right now, a major UN summit in Bali has just a few days left to hammer out an agreement on stopping catastrophic climate change. But instead of helping out, Canada is actually sabotaging the UN talks! On Saturday, experts gave us the global "fossil" award for being the worst country in the world on climate change.

There's still a few days left to save Canada's reputation -- and the climate -- but we need a massive democratic roar to remind our Prime Minister what Canada is all about, and stop him from blocking the world at Bali. Click below to sign the petition and we'll advertize the number of signatures we get in an ad campaign across Canada this week. Our goal is to get 25,000 people to sign in just 3 days before the ads run. Click below, then forward this email to all your friends and family right away:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/another_canadian_climate_crime/4.php

Enough is enough. Prime Minister Harper's short-sighted, undemocratic and big oil-driven policy on climate change is damaging the world and destroying our image as a good country. We're supposed to be the nice guys, who try to do the right thing in the world.

The vast majority of Canadians are hopping mad on this issue -- we can win this. We just need to show Harper how serious we are that he change course. Sign up now and forward this email to everyone you know - we've got just 3 days to hit 25,000 signatures!

With much respect and hope,

Ricken Patel,
Avaaz.org

PS - Here are links to some more info on this:

David Suzuki (the Nature of Things) calls the government's spin on climate change "humiliating" and "ludicrous"
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/283829

The former editor-in-chief of CBC news discusses the damage done by Canada's climate policy to our international reputation:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_burman/2007/12/canada_flounders_on_issue_of_c.html

The Fossil of the Day Award site:
http://www.avaaz.org/fossils

Will Climate Concerns Affect Tourism Demand?

The big unknown for the tourism industry is the impact of climate change on consumer behavior. Will individual leisure consumers voluntarily reduce discretionary travel in order to reduce or minimize their “carbon footprint”? Will tourists make destination or product choices based on the environmental record of places and suppliers?  The jury is out. The sea change in public opinion regarding climate change specifically is a relative recent one and there is no way of knowing whether it will last or whether it will translate into behavioral change.

In Europe, in particular, there has been considerable focus placed on the travel industry. Influential writers such as George Monbiot in the Guardian have called for people to stop flying altogether and even  the Bishop of London has suggested that long-haul travel is a sin. Blogs such as Plane Stupid, formed to slow down the aggressive expansion plans of all UK’s airports, have harnessed concerns over climate change to argue strenuously for a slow down in aviation. Hysterical though some of the opinions may be, they have garnered considerable media attention and, as our post on the IPPR illustrates, public questioning of the role that aviation and tourism play are on the increase. As this Vanity Fair article shows,  the Prince of Charles, once written off as either too eccentric or too aloof to be taken seriously as an influencer of public behavior, is now being recognized as having vision and some relevance.

In the United States, a new Yale research survey reveals a significant shift in public attitudes toward the environment and global warming. Fully 83 percent of Americans now say global warming is a “serious” problem, up from 70 percent in 2004. More Americans than ever say they have serious concerns about environmental threats, such as toxic soil and water (92 percent, up from 85 percent in 2004), deforestation (89 percent, up from 78 percent), air pollution (93 percent, up from 87 percent) and the extinction of wildlife (83 percent, up from 72 percent in 2005).

Most dramatically, the survey of 1,000 adults nationwide shows that 63 percent of Americans agree that the United States “is in as much danger from environmental hazards, such as air pollution and global warming, as it is from terrorists.” It reveals growing concern about dependence on Middle Eastern oil, with 96 percent of the public saying this is a serious problem. As a result, the public overwhelmingly supports increasing the use of alternative energy, including solar and wind power, as well as investing more in energy efficiency.

The survey indicates that while 70 percent of Americans believe that President Bush doesn’t do enough for the environment and should do more, many citizens are ready to act on their own. Seventy-five percent recognize that their own behavior can help to reduce global warming, and 81 percent believe it is their responsibility to do so.

The results further suggest that many Americans want greener products and are ready to spend money to try new technologies that will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Seventy percent of the public indicates a willingness to buy solar panels, and 67 percent would consider buying a hybrid car.

But again, it is unclear how this shift in attitudes is affecting destination and vacation choice.

Canada faces both a threat and an opportunity. As one of the larger carbon producers, we can hardly claim to be a green country. But with imagnation and will, the tourism industry could move towards becoming carbon neutral and, thereby appeal to the growing number of "high yield" travelers who are preferring to buy green and who are making consumer choices based on the responsible practices of suppliers.

Yes, it is all up in the air at the moment!  Do we make a stand or do we move out front. Do we carry on with "business as usual" as has been our practice or do we dare to be different? Does the current generation of leaders hand over an industry in relative decline (Canada's market share and position in international rankings has been falling consistently over te past few years) or does it work with the next generation of leaders to create a bold, new, contenporary vision?

These are the questioins and the issues. "Up In The Air" will be your source of news and views on this subject - we welcome your comments as the story unfolds....