Climate change action heroes | ThePeterboroughExaminer.com

Climate change activists are growing thanks to climate change heroes Al Gore, David Suzuki and Greta Thunberg who have shown us that “It takes a child to raise up a village.”

Peterborough is blessed to have climate change heroes Fred Irwin (author of Now is the Time) and Al and Linda Slavin (founders of Four our Grandchildren (4RG), a climate change organization), and Drew Monkman (naturalist, author, and climate change columnist to name a few).

There are many types of climate change heroes. Some are just as concerned with protecting wildlife as they are about human life. According to Nature Climate Change, a harsh projection that could destroy the Leatherback sea turtle population from the eastern Pacific Ocean in Central America is published in Nature Climate Change. Louis Wilson, a climate change advocate, created Hotel Las Tortugas at Playa Grande in Costa Rica. He has provided a protected environment where researchers and volunteers can study the effects of climate changes on the endangered turtle habitat.

To help the turtles multiply, they created a cooler turtle habitat by watering and shading Leatherback’s nests. Louis has helped to preserve Playa Grande, one of the last remaining nesting areas for endangered Leatherback turtles.

Glenn Pederson, a Bay Islands Conservation Association founder, was instrumental in Utila, Honduras. He has helped to save thousands of Hawksbill turtles by preventing invasive developments that disturb turtle habitats. He also built a pathway to sea for the hatching of baby sea turtles. Glenn sees climate change through a lens and has a very low carbon footprint.

One person can make a huge difference in protecting the environment, helping to reduce the effects of climate change, and helping to prevent global heating. Unfortunately, most people think that their government is taking care of the climate change crisis so they don’t need to do anything.

The government is also trying to manage the pandemic, the economic crisis, and the health care crisis simultaneously, so they need all the support they can get.

Each of us must press our governments to move to a just, green economy to stop global warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius. If not, according to the NOAA, “The accelerating effects of positive feedback loops can be at risk to tipping points” which can further increase irreversible warming.

To become a climate change action hero, all you have to do it attend the March 12th Day of Action for a Just Transition hosted by 350.org and Council of Canadians in Peterborough.

The public is invited to gather outside our MP’s office from 1 to 2 p.m. on March 12th to ask Parliament to pass bold legislation that accelerates the transition to 100% renewable energy while creating millions of good paying green jobs. This is a National Day of Action that reminds everyone that the Climate Emergency is real and that we all need to act immediately. 

We look forward to seeing you there.  Maybe you can be a Climate Change Action Hero too.

Tricia Clarkson, a climate change columnist, is co-chair of Peterborough Alliance for Climate Action