I commend our Sophia Mathur and her fellow students for taking a stand on our climate crisis that affects us all.
We have seen the devastation of forest fires in Parry Sound and Temagami last year and those out west in BC and in Australia. These forest fires increase air pollution that spells trouble for those with asthma and lung disease.
While we had a great summer, other areas suffered extremely hot days and thousands of people have died of heat stroke as a result. Mental health is affected by those having to evacuate areas of desertification and crop failure due to lack of rain or flooding. Insect borne diseases like Lyme disease, West Nile, and even malaria are moving north.
We are seeing the effects of floods, droughts on our food security. Permafrost, glaciers and our arctic ice is melting. I had the privilege to be in our Canadian arctic and the map in the captain’s wheelhouse showed a glacier coming down into the fjord, but the glacier was ending half way up the valley when I was looking out the window.
We have seen extreme weather with tornadoes in Ottawa, and hurricane Dorian started out as a Category 5 and destroyed islands in the Bahamas.
We need to ask our politicians what they intend to do about the climate crisis. On Thursday, Oct. 3, attend the debate at St. Andrew’s Place from 6-9 p.m.
Richard Denton
Sudbury