Editorial

It’s real, it’s a huge problem and we have to do something about it.

First, and perhaps most importantly, however, we need to admit climate change is simply not going to go away because we choose to ignore the issue.

The science behind global warming can be overwhelming and has, over the past few decades, been disputed. But the scientific understanding of climate change is sufficiently clear and indicates human activities have caused a dramatic increase in the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth's atmosphere.

CO2 is a "greenhouse gas" (GHG) that captures heat and warms the atmosphere. The main causes of increasing CO2 concentrations are the burning of fossil fuels — coal, petroleum products, natural gas — and deforestation. A variety of industrial, transportation and agricultural activities are also responsible for increases in the atmospheric concentrations of other GHGs, such as methane and nitrous oxide.

As the planet continues to warm and we see the drastic effects of that, it’s important that climate protection initiatives are embraced sooner rather than later.

While deciding where to begin can be as overwhelming as the science behind climate change, Canadians can take a crack at the issue by encouraging programs, policies and regulations that help reduce Canada’s GHG emissions in our homes, businesses, schools and communities.

A good place to start in coming up with solutions is by changing the way we use energy to heat and light our homes and workplaces and by reducing the amount of fossil fuels we burn when we drive our vehicles. Simply put, when we consume more energy we release more GHGs into the atmosphere. By becoming a more energy-efficient society – one that chooses more fuel-efficient transportation options, energy-efficient home appliances, and changes some wasteful daily habits – we can reduce environmental stress, cut GHGs and help to minimize climate change.

On a municipal level, improvements to public transit are critical to halting the build-up of GHGs. That can be a challenge in a predominantly rural area like the Valley, but we’re fortunate to have a transportation infrastructure in place with the potential to expand. A recent decision by Kings County council not to venture into a partnership that would expand the Kings Transit service into Hants County is disappointing, but hopefully the matter will be revisited in the near future.

Kings Transit now offers a mainline bus system with connections along the Highway 1 corridor between Hortonville in the east and the Digby area in the west. Enhancing the service to include Hants County would be the next logical step, but if that doesn’t happen soon, there are also other decisions Kings Transit can make immediately to encourage more people to use public transportation.

Offering low-cost bus passes to high school, college and university students is a good start. Students wanting to purchase a bus pass must do so at the adult rate. In many towns and cities in Canada, students are offered transit passes at no or very low cost. This makes public transportation more inviting, encourages ridership and will also train the next generation to get into the habit of getting out of their cars. Increasing the frequency of runs would also make the service user-friendly for those trying to get to and from classes and work.

School advisory councils, PTAs and student unions need to lobby municipalities and Kings Transit to provide transportation subsidies to students. The costs associated with implementing programs and services that have been proven to cut down on GHGs have often been the root of inaction, but given the importance of the issue of climate change, the time has come to put deterrents and excuses aside.