Burrill: Liberals must declare Climate Emergency

HALIFAX - Today, the NDP Caucus is calling on Nova Scotia to join with other jurisdictions around the world and declare a climate emergency.

“Climate change is here and it is an emergency. Whether it is storms like Hurricane Dorian, last year’s June frost, or the recent droughts and floods we have experienced in the province, climate change is having a profound impact on people’s lives in Nova Scotia,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill.

In January 2019, the Halifax Regional Municipality became the second city in Canada to declare a climate emergency. Since then, many communities, including Mahone Bay, Wolfville, and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, have taken similar action.

“When the UN reported that we have only 12 years left to make significant changes to prevent catastrophic climate change, our town knew we had to act,” said Mercedes Brian, Wolfville town councillor and chair of the town’s Environmental Sustainability Committee. “Wolfville has declared a climate emergency, but we need the province to follow suit. Action now at all levels of government is needed if we are going to address climate change.”

New Democrats continue to propose solutions to address climate change, including a Green Jobs Act to transform Nova Scotia’s economy and a plan to update Nova Scotia’s emission reduction targets to 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, to have our best chance at keeping warming below 1.5 degrees.

“Today, millions of people around the world, led by children and young people are holding climate strikes, demonstrations, pickets, and more to demand world leaders take meaningful action to combat climate change,” said Burrill. “Step one is to name the problem and declare a climate emergency.”

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