Are we going to close our eyes for a long time before taking seriously the scientific studies that demonstrate the urgency of acting for the environment?
This week, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicated that global warming is accelerating even faster than expected.
The consequences on access to water, the price of food and the displacement of populations are already being felt. Here too.
At the same time, the medical journal The Lancet revealed that 9 million premature deaths are caused by pollution worldwide. In Quebec, air contamination alone is responsible for at least 4,000 premature deaths per year, according to Health Canada.
Everything is connected
It is likely that we will find a lot less Quebec blueberries on the shelves this summer. This is another consequence of climate change accelerating the proliferation of Varroa, a parasite that has killed 65% of the bees in our hives.
Another factor according to experts are pesticides like neonicotinoids which weaken the immune system of pollinators, essential for the production of many foods.
When will we finally realize that everything on this Earth is connected? We are the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land that feeds us. It is in our selfish interest to protect the environment.
Take our responsibilities
What would make us wake up? Stop blaming others? Whether countries, companies or individuals?
We can always find worse than us: individually and collectively. This in no way legitimizes our inaction. Society will not move if we do not mobilize.
Quebec has everything it needs to become an exemplary ecological society. But it won’t happen by magic. Our policies, our institutions, our companies, our organizations need us to invest in them with heart and rigor.
We cannot change the past, but we can influence the future. It is now that it is decided by each of our individual and collective choices.
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