Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Stop Treating Us Like Children!


Why is the British government willing, even eager, to discuss the expected coming effects of climate change with its people while Canadian political leaders don't even want to mention it?

The British government is talking to its people, telling them what to expect, initiating discussion on how to deal with change. They're telling their people they have to plan - now. From BBC News:

The UK needs to plan now for a future that will be hotter and bring greater extremes of flood and drought, says Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.

Launching the UK Climate Projections 2009 report (UKCP09), Mr Benn told MPs that the UK climate will change even with a global deal on emissions.

By 2080, London will be between 2C and 6C hotter than it is now, he said.

Every part of the UK is likely to be wetter in winter and drier in summer, according to the projections.

Summer rainfall could decrease by about 20% in the south of England and in Yorkshire and Humberside by the middle of the century.

The government hopes UKCP09 will allow citizens, local authorities and businesses to plan for future decades.

"Climate change is going to transform the way we live," said Mr Benn.


"These projections show us the future we need to avoid, and the future we need to plan for."


Is it just us? Maybe a people who managed to tough out the Blitz can be trusted with a bit of rough news that we're too soft to handle. Maybe Messrs. Harper and Ignatieff and Layton figure we're way too jittery, we'd all go sticking our heads in ovens and turning on the gas.

The Brits want to plan for a London that could, within three generations, be 6 degrees Celsius warmer. That's a lot but they're not afraid to lay it out before the public so that they can do what they need to do - plan for their future.

Here's something to think about. Worrying as the Brit outlook may be, those of you in central, southern Canada are insane if you think you're going to be any better off than the Brits by 2080. So don't you think it's past time for our leaders to either give us the information we need to begin to plan for our own future or explain why they won't or can't? If they're going to treat you like children, act like children - don't vote (for them anyway).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8107014.stm

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