The rationale behind Sirens ... |
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We are the pot and the frog. Place a frog in a pot of hot water and it will jump clear. Put the same frog in a pot of cold water, turn on the heat and it will happily sit there and boil to death. We are that frog, sitting in a pot of oil and the heat is on.
According to the United Nations, the number one threat currently facing Humankind is the worsening problem of global warming and sustainability. At this point there are no longer people who disbelieve the reality of climate change, only those who choose to deny it to suit their own agenda. Unfortunately this attitude is not benign, it comes at the expense of others and can not fail to ultimately bite the hand that feeds it. By the time that happens and we are rapidly approaching that time, we will be well beyond the ability to change our destiny. Now is the time for action. The survival of the human species requires a mental evolution. Global attitudes towards the planet we depend on must change. This is the purpose of Sirens. There are many denizens, from all walks of life, who are working in their chosen fields to address this problem within the parameters of our existing society, with it's complex political and economic systems. Indeed, there are many millions doing their part in whatever way possible, despite the rigours of day-to-day life. Governments are not proactive, but rather reactive, choosing only to change policy when their jobs are threatened by the will of the majority, the underlying principal of democracy. To effect the change so urgently required, a strong voice of the majority of citizens is the key. Silence is not abstention, but rather a vote for the status-quo. The now defunct Conservative Harper Government recently paid the price for misunderstanding (or ignoring) the will of Canadians. Not only did they loose the recent federal election, they handed Justin Trudeau's Liberal party a resounding and strong majority victory. I'm proud to claim some small part in that. But the Harper era has done serious damage. In their push to make Canada the world's gas station, they've ignored the evidence of global warming, dropped us out of Kyoto, damaged Canada's international reputation, trampled aboriginal rights, made protesting the government illegal (BillC-51), removed protection for many sensitive eco-systems, refused to recognize "at-risk" species, muzzled scientists and pushed for pipeline and tar-sands expansion, etc. Now there is hope. The Trudeau era is very young and yet to show it's hand. But we now at least we have an Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. Catherine McKenna has taken Canada's new policy to Paris for COP21, the UN Climate Change Conference. Great efforts were made to come to agreement. We'll see how that turns out. Words are easy, action is not. There is much to repair and then there's moving forward ... but there is hope. Since the federal election, I've adjusted my Sirens manuscript to reflect these new and positive developments for Canada. I'm happy to say I like the tone of these adjustments. I'd rather be writing from a place of hope than despair. I also believe getting people on-board with the idea of working toward sustainability will be more effective, if others have hope as well. If oil is the answer to prosperity for Canada, why do we have a vast host of social problems such as poverty, homelessness and no policy for the protection of the mentally ill, other than prison? The exploitation of oil only serves to make the rich richer at the expense of the common man, our children and the health of our planet. Executive compensation is out of control and serves the growing divide between rich and poor. I submit the prosperity of Canadians is not tied to oil, but rather the prosperity of the wealthy is. The same oil-infrastructure billions, if invested in sustainable energy research and infrastructure, would change the course of the world and the future for our children. The jobs would still be there, but different jobs and to a different and survivable end. Now we need new policy from the Trudeau Government to steer us in that direction. It won't happen overnight, but we have to start the conversation, or it won't happen at all. |
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