Re: Letter from Ken Topolinsky (‘Work cut out for us’, Morning Star, July 29)
Thank you for drawing our attention to the brave actions of Elaine Sharp from Enderby. Our federal government continues to sponsor the oil and gas industry to the tune of approximately $200 per taxpayer annually, while also praising its own efforts to prevent runaway climate change.
Ms. Sharp has had enough of the double-speak and is withholding her $200 subsidy from the oil industry’s coffers (via our supportive government).
As I sit inside for respite from the smoke-filled air outside, I struggle to find the hope required to believe we will come together and address our contribution to the problem at hand. By combusting oil, gas and coal, we are creating the circumstances for dangerous weather events such as this summer’s record heat wave and resulting fires.
The heatwave should have been one-in-one-thousand-year event, but Environment Canada now says it will happen every five to 10 years unless we address climate change. If the immorality of our continued actions is not clear, the sheer cost of continued climate disasters that we are offloading to our children should spark action. Ms. Sharp has provided hope to me that everyday Canadians will not accept this summer as our legacy for the next generation.
The oil and gas industry has heated our homes (thanks for that), but also the only global atmosphere we have (a scientific fact it has known about for decades).
Its time is done.
Owen Madden, Enderby