September 20th is an international Draw the Line Day of Action addressing issues like the climate crisis. Civil society groups from across Canada, and around the world, will come together through different events to show solidarity and to bring attention to the risks facing Canadians from inaction on issues like climate change.
Seniors for Climate New Brunswick will be at the Sackville Fall Fair on September 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are hosting a Climate Corner on Dufferin Street, Sackville, in partnership with seven other organizations. Anyone attending the Fall Fair can drop by to learn more about climate change and its causes and risks, take part in fun activities, and send a postcard to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Susan Holt expressing, in your own words, the actions we want to see accelerated.
Seniors for Climate New Brunswick is participating in the Draw the Line Day of Action because we’re worried, and increasingly frustrated, that our leaders are failing to take the action needed to protect us from the effects of climate change:
- Wildfires that are displacing communities and polluting the air.
- Smoke that is deadly for seniors with heart and lung conditions.
- Extreme heat that is affecting many seniors living without air conditioning.
- Storms, floods, and outages leaving isolated or medically vulnerable older adults at risk.
- Intense storms and drought raising insurance, food and housing costs.
Seniors aren’t only worried about how climate change affects them. We care deeply about our children, our grandchildren, and future generations; We want to leave behind a livable world. That’s why seniors from across Canada, and here in New Brunswick, are volunteering their time, expertise and energy to call out polluters and to demand governments regulate the pollution unbalancing the climate.
September 20th is an opportunity for families, students and seniors to interact, share stories, and remind ourselves of things we can do here at home to protect the places that we love. It’s an opportunity for honest conversations about the importance of action – now – because later is too late.
Planet Earth needs us
Burning fossil fuels is hurting everything we love. Every vehicle, furnace, industrial and power plant turbine burning oil, gas or coal adds heat-trapping gases to the air. It’s like adding a pollution blanket around the Earth, according to FrameLab.
The pollution blanket is making it hotter. The blanket traps heat that used to go back to space. It’s like when you go to sleep with an extra blanket and you wake up sweating. That is what we are doing to our planet. And all that trapped heat energy has to go somewhere—so it melts the glaciers, warms up the oceans, and makes heatwaves, fires, and storms stronger. We need to reduce, phase-out and take down pollution from burning coal, oil and gas so the blanket will thin, and we can get back to a comfortable temperature.
We want action now
Seniors for Climate want governments to stop subsidizing fossil-fuel companies and to make polluters pay for the damage they are causing. We want strong investments in renewable energy – solar, wind and storage, not pollution spewing gas-diesel power plants as proposed by N.B. Power.
We need more community-based and large-scale renewable energy, backed up with reliable storage, expanded electric public transit and school buses, energy-efficient housing and heat pumps for all. Canadians, including New Brunswickers, deserve the good jobs and cleaner communities that come with a fossil-free future.
The Sackville Fair Climate Corner includes Seniors for Climate Tantramar & New Brunswick, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) NB, United Spirit Nature Network, New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance (NBASGA), the Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick (CRED-NB), Maritimes Against Climate Change, and CLIMAtlantic.
Join us on September 20 at the Sackville Fall Fair. For the love of New Brunswick, for the love of our children and for the love of our grandchildren.
Penny Mott is a Sackville-based organizer with Seniors for Climate NB. Dr. Louise Comeau is Senior Advisor at Re.Climate, a member of Canada’s Net Zero Advisory Body and founder of Iris Communications, with over 30 years of experience in climate policy, communications, and advocacy.
