OTTAWA - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands, spoke today from Durban with several international Green parliamentarians to call for action on climate change. “Globally, parliamentarians can see the links between the climate crisis and the financial meltdown,” said May. “While world leaders gather with urgency to address the financial crisis, the climate crisis is far more serious in its potential impacts -- now described by the International Energy Agency as 'cataclysmic.' Real leadership requires solutions that innovatively respond to both climate and the economy at once."
Global Greens are calling for a change in thinking in that there are opportunities to address both our financial woes and the impending climate crisis. “The Harper government is being very short sighted in thinking that our economic worries are reasons not to act on climate. The opposite is true. By focusing on improvements in energy efficiency in all sectors and developing renewable energy, we can create jobs. Waiting to take action will result in very high costs, particularly as extreme weather events cause more destruction,” said May.
Elizabeth May was joined by Australian Senator Christine Milne and Dr. Hermann Ott, a Green MP from Germany.
“If we can simply accept that we need to change, then we can look toward the future and how a green economy can create the kind of world that we want for future generations,” said May. “Tough action now on greenhouse gasses can be a part of the transformation that we need in our economic sector. It is about having the vision and leadership.”
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