Climate Consultation Town Hall – Waterloo Region: Resources

Welcome to the online resources page to prepare for the upcoming Climate Consultation in Waterloo Region (WR).

Your presence at the Climate Town Hall WR is itself a statement that you care about climate change, and we thank you. Climate change can be a scary topic, but hopeful action is an antidote to despair. An informed person who can articulate why we need to act and can contribute to the discussion of how the government should respond is very helpful, and we hope that this resource page helps you become more informed and more articulate.

The climate consultation will be focusing on four main themes:

  • How and where to reduce emissions
  • Ideas for Clean Technology, innovation and job creation
  • How to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate
  • Putting a price on carbon


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    Divest Waterloo has always advocated for a just transition to a low carbon economy. We encourage you to read this thoughtful research paper by John Dillon, KAIROS Ecological Economy Coordinator. Read “A Just Transition to A Life-Sustaining Economy”
     
    Did you miss the August 11th public education event Canadian Climate Solutions: What Should be in the National Climate Plan? You can watch it here.
     

    In case there is any doubt that Canada has a lot of work to do on reducing our GHG emissions…

     

    Chart showing the per capita GHG emissions for the Top 10 emitting countries. Canada had the highest per capita emissions in 2011, at almost 25 tons per person, followed by the United States at 20 tons. The world average is about 6 tons.

    Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions per capita for Top 10 Emitters in 2011 (tons)


     
    Click on the graph to enlarge it.

     
     
    However, the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project has developed an excellent interactive tool to explore what we need to do to get to there. For a more extensive analysis, you can read their 2015 Canada report Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in Canada.
     
    Watch this short video featuring Archbishop Desmond Tutu for an inspiring reminder of our shared responsibility to address climate change.