About 90% of Canadians, of different political orientations, socioeconomic statuses, ages, genders and geographic locations, agree that climate change is happening.
If weather patterns have always been variable, seasonal temperatures have always fluctuated and extreme weather events have always occurred, why are people saying the climate is changing? Because until recently, climate (measured as the long -term average trends in temperature and precipitation), as opposed to weather (the variation we are used to seeing day to day), has been extremely stable and predictable for as long as humans have been around. But is now being altered outside of those historical bounds. We are heading into uncharted climate territory and there is vast, robust agreement on this issue.
Among the thousands of climate scientists (of all political orientations) 97% agree that climate change is happening and is concerning. They are basing their conclusions on the synthesis of 10,000s of research papers, countless data sets and many predictive models (running 1000s of simulations) from independent research groups across the globe.
It's not a two-sided story. There is one side and a few outliers. Similarly, there are still people that believe the world is flat and that smoking doesn’t cause cancer. Outlier views don’t indicate that there is a controversy.
The science is clear. And it's not just the scientists that agree. Far from it!
Please see The World Agrees We Need to Decarbonize on the path below.
One misconception contributing to people's perspectives on the reality of climate change is that it is a political fabrication or a ‘left-wing agenda’.
But liberals don’t own environmental protection or climate action. Conservatives past and present have believed in climate change and have supported climate policies that protect against other forms of pollution or conserve natural habitats.
Brian Mulroney (a staunch conservative), for example, had one of the strongest environmental records of any Canadian prime minister.
Here is a snapshot of his action on climate and the environment.
- He successfully negotiated the Canada-United States Air Quality Act (aka the Acid Rain Treaty) with the United States and domestically, negotiated with the seven eastern provinces to cut acid rain-causing emissions by 50%.
- He successfully negotiated a binding international agreement, the Montreal Protocol, in 1987, to protect the ozone layer.
- He demanded global action to tackle the threat of climate change, hosting the Toronto Conference on the Changing Atmosphere - one of the first major international gatherings to discuss climate change in 1988.
- He was the first international leader to sign the Rio Conventions to fight climate change and protect biodiversity.
- He approved a $3 billion Green Plan for Canada in 1990 - that set a goal to stabilize Canada's greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2000.
- He enacted the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to manage toxic substances in the environment.
- He enacted the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to review the environmental impacts of major projects.
- His government established the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
- His government launched the National Roundtable on the Economy and the Environment.
Other conservative leaders also accept the facts of climate change.
Even Margaret Thatcher agreed that climate change is real and needs to be addressed. She just disagreed with the proposed solutions.