The re-opening of the economy after COVID-19 is an opportunity to address the climate crisis. With the dramatic bottoming out of the fossil fuel industry due to the world market, it is clear that this unstable industry is a dinosaur.
A New York Times headline recently announced “Global financial giants swear off funding an especially dirty fuel.” Banks, pension funds and global investment houses are pulling away from fossil-fuel investments amid growing pressure to show they are doing something to fight climate change
The writing is on the wall, this pivotal moment is ripe for the kind of change we must have, and shift from a dying industry that has served us well to one that can lead us into a cleaner healthier future.
As venture capitalist Tom Rand has stated: “Fossil fuel are like training wheels, the test of an advanced civilization is whether or not they can take them off.”
Now is that time.
The federal government must ensure that post-COVID economic stimulus funding supports a green recovery allocating funds to: retrofitting building where there are huge opportunities for economic stimulus and jobs; supporting active transportation; retraining fossil fuel workers; supporting community based renewable energy; and re-directing government subsidies away from new fossil fuel infrastructure.
Let’s not squander this opportunity to affect big positive change.
Dona Grace-Campbell
Kaslo