Standing on Guard for Climate By John Towndrow

As an election inches closer, or is already underway as this is published, it seems that two main issues are top of mind – the economy and our sovereignty. While these are important and will take a lot of effort, we also need to consider that without a healthy environment, and if the global temperature rises another couple of degrees, the world will simply become unliveable and nothing else will matter. According to the IPCC
(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) we need to reduce greenhouse gasses by 43% before 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5 º C so we need strong leadership to keep taking climate action at the same time as responding to economic and sovereignty issues.

Transition Cornwall+ focusses mainly on the actions we can all take at the local level but that doesn’t mean we ignore what can be done on the national stage so we pose the following questions in four categories that are clearly within the responsibility of all federal candidates.

Climate Action – Focused on energy and climate change

Countries around the world have the solutions needed to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and address climate change and many are acting boldly to implement those solutions.

If elected, what actions will you and your party take to scale up efforts and accelerate the necessary changes to address the climate crisis and its effect on the ecosystem, the citizens and the economy?

Connected Municipalities – Focused on sustainable transportation

National transportation systems have the potential to contribute to life satisfaction and overall health and wellbeing and reduce our dependence on car travel.

If elected, how will you ensure people of all ages and abilities are provided with safe, accessible, affordable and attractive interconnected public transportation options (rail, bus and air) that coordinate with municipal efforts to increase active modes (e.g.,
walking, riding a bicycle) and transit all year long?

Natural Protected Areas – Focused on biodiversity

The UN Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. The goals call for 30% of our land and water areas to be protected spaces.

If elected, how will you ensure we work toward meeting or exceeding the minimum 30% recommended level of protected areas?

Responsible Consumption and Production –  Focussed on reducing waste.

Governments need to implement and enforce policies and regulations that include measures such as setting targets for reducing waste generation, promoting circular economy practices, and supporting sustainable procurement policies.

If elected, what actions would you take to reduce waste of all kinds and promote circular economy practices and what targets would you set?

We invite all candidates to send us answers to the questions to
[email protected] and we will ensure they get published as soon as they are received.

More information at: transitioncornwall.com