Climate is not a sideshow

OTTAWA - Greens across Canada today are shocked at the callous indifference shown by Prime Minister Harper as he relegated important issues such as the environment to ‘sideshows’, asserting that the economy is the only issue that matters.  The comments were made during a carefully scripted session with university students, hosted by Conservative Senator Mike Duffy.

“Once again, Canada is being embarrassed on the world stage because of our leaders’ shocking lack of knowledge about the interconnections between the environment and the economy,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

European Union and United Nations heads have pressed Canada to put climate on the G20 agenda and to take action in line with what other countries are doing. 

The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change has warned that failure to deal with climate change could cost up to 20% of global GDP, while shifting society toward a low-carbon lifestyle could benefit the economy by $2.5 trillion a year.

The review states, "Our actions over the coming few decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, later in this century and in the next, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century.”

Contact Information:
Debra Eindiguer
Press Secretary
C: 613.240.8921
media@greenparty.ca