We are in a climate crisis.

According to the UN IPCC Report, we have less than 12 years left to drastically reduce carbon emissions, or else we'll face the irreversible tipping point of catastrophic climate change. This will create a domino effect of drought, wild fires, food insecurity, storms, floods, mass migration and societal collapse.

In CBRM, climate change has already caused storms and storm surges, flooding, and infrastructure damage -- and it's only going to get worse. By 2100, our shorelines will rise by at least 100 cm. Our land, coastal, and ocean ecosystems will be devastated. The natural beauty and stability of our island is poised to collapse.

This is an existential crisis, but our governments are not taking appropriate action. Governments are STILL subsidizing fossil fuels and allowing new infrastructure that will add to the crisis. We need a massive societal mobilization to pressure government to shift rapidly to renewables and create millions of green jobs.

MAKE CBRM DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY. Countries and cities around the world have already taken this essential step:

1) Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton, Ottawa, and over 350 other Canadian governments have declared climate emergencies.

2) CBRM paid for a 100-page Climate Action Report in 2014, but they have not followed through in any meaningful ways.

3) In 2018, City Council passed The Suzuki Foundation's bluedot.ca resolution, making environmental health a LEGAL RIGHT for its citizens. It's time for them to prove they mean it.

What would a state of climate emergency mean? Here are some possibilities:

1) City Council will revisit its 2014 Climate Change Action Plan and publish its performance record.

2) CBRM will appoint an advocacy council, including climate experts and private citizens, to provide monthly reports and recommendations.

3) CBRM will access emergency funds to implement top-priority climate change mitigations and adaptations.

4) CBRM will work with provincial and federal governments to reduce Cape Breton's carbon emissions faster than the national rate.

Help keep our island beautiful and safe for generations to come. The time to act is now. Please help!

Scott Sharplin

Sydney