The New Brunswick Green Party are calling on the province to declare a climate emergency, as consequences of a “climate breakdown” continue to grow.
Leader David Coon says in their motion, they call for a move toward greener energy sources, and want to see the province become carbon neutral by the middle of the century.
Coon says time is running out to make a change, and it’s time to make this a priority.
“We’re already living the consequences of the climate breakdown in New Brunswick. I mean, we broke the climate! The scientists from around the world are telling us we have to collectively within the next ten or 11 years, substantially wean ourselves off fossil fuels,” he said in an interview.
According to Coon, one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gas in the province is NB Power.
He says reducing carbon emissions, and switching to greener alternatives is key in combating climate change.
“We need to move it (NB Power) as quickly as we can to be producing close to 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, we need to ‘greenify’ the electricity grid,” he said.
He also says “we need to de-carbonize our transportation system,” and find ways to reduce the amount of cars pumping carbon into the atmosphere.
One of the things they’ve been looking at is options for an electric rail system linking the three major cities in New Brunswick.
Coon says not taking action now is a form of “inter-generational theft,” and will leave today’s youth with the worst consequences of the climate breakdown.
“The worst consequences of climate change will rain down on upon the people who are in their school years, and those who have the ability to take action in positions of power will be long gone,” he said.
The Green’s tabled the motion in the Legislature last Tuesday, and should it pass, want to see the implementation of a climate action plan within six months.
Coon says a climate action plan was something the previous government had drafted back in 2016, which the current government has endorsed and said they would implement, but nothing has happened yet.
He also points out a plan written in 2016 would need major rewrites as it is based off science from years ago, and things have since accelerated.
