https://www.thewhig.com/news/local-...ht-word-for-climate-change-kingston-prof-says
KINGSTON – If the word fits, use it, said a Queen’s University biology professor who has spent his career researching the impact of climate change.
Prof. John Smol, the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change and president-elect of the Academy of Science with the Royal Society of Canada, said Kingston city council’s climate emergency declaration on Tuesday night was an important step to getting real local action.
“It uses the word emergency and that is a good word to use when you are talking about climate change and what we are doing to the planet because it is an emergency. I believe it is the most important issue that has faced humanity ever,” Smol said.
“In 100 years, that is going to be the major issue that everyone is talking about, if we survive, and what we are doing and why weren’t they doing it.
“It is an emergency and it is about time we started using these words.”
City council unanimously voted to declare a climate emergency “for the purposes of naming, framing and deepening our commitment to protecting our economy, our ecosystems and our community from climate change.”
Smol said the declaration could allow council and city staff to consider the cost of climate change when making decisions about programs, services and infrastructure.
Prior to Tuesday night’s vote, Colleen Gareau, a co-founder of Kingston Climate Hub, said the city needs to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 16 per cent within the current term of council to put it on track for a 1.5 C temperature increase.
The sectors that produce the most greenhouse gases – transportation and buildings – could be the quickest way to meet stricter emissions reductions, Gareau said.
Electrifying the Kingston Transit fleet, getting cars off the road, and putting in place building standards that reduce emissions would help meet emissions targets, she added.
“It is something as simple as having the building a little cooler in the winter and a little warmer in the summer,” Smol said.
Passing the declaration, especially with an unanimous vote, puts Kingston in position to be a leader in climate change policy and demonstrates that the city is taking the problem seriously, Smol said.
“Kingston has always been a city that often, not always, but often can punch above its weight.”
Using the word emergency could also help clear up a disconnect that persists between what the scientific evidence shows and the skepticism many people continue to hold.
Smol said a 2017 peer-reviewed analysis showed that between 1991 and 2015, 54,164 peer-reviewed scientific papers (99.94 per cent) concluded that human activity caused climate change. Only 31 research papers concluded that human activity was not to blame.
But a 2018 Abacus Data poll showed that one-third of Canadians are not convinced of the connection between human activity and climate change.
“You hear about the climate controversy. There is no controversy,” Smol said. “I would have loved to be wrong. I would love someone to show ‘John you are wrong.’ I would be delighted.
“I take no pleasure in what is happening, but we are in a very serious situation.”
