The Best Thing You Can Do to Fix Climate Change

Readers who support The Tyee have made it clear their number one priority for our election coverage is the climate emergency. As The Tyee’s lead reporter on that issue, I made the video above reminding us why, when you vote, you aren’t just acting on behalf of yourself, you’re helping decide the future of all who inhabit this planet.

Today kicks off a week of global reporting for the Covering Climate Now initiative. The Tyee was early to join the now more than 250 publications (reaching a billion people around the world), pledging a week’s worth of climate coverage leading into the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York on Sept. 23. At that meeting, the world’s governments will say how they intend to meet the Paris Agreement’s promise to keep global temperature rise “well below” two degrees Celsius.

Next up here, tomorrow, I’ll be scrutinizing Canada’s four major parties’ platforms to find out, as our readers requested, which ones treat climate change as an emergency and how.

Immerse yourself

We at The Tyee did not wait for the writ to drop to get busy on this beat. Here are some pieces we’ve run about the climate crisis and political responses to it in recent months.

To Win, Politicians Must Woo Voters with Action on Climate
Digging deeper into Canadians’ attitudes to environmental issues. First of two.

From Fires to Floods, Extreme Weather May Be Shaping Canadians’ Views on Climate Crisis
Digging deeper into Canadians’ attitudes toward climate change. Second of two.

So What’s a Progressive Voter to Do?
Take more slow, small steps? Or has crisis wiped out that option?

Generation Scorched
Working for cheap in national parks has been a rite of youth. For this little band, it was a trial by fire.

How Our Lifestyle Is Driving the Climate Crisis and How We Can Change It
A Q&A with Tatiana Schlossberg, author of ‘Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have.’

Alberta Can Transition from Oil and Gas and Have a Strong Economy. Here’s How
‘Tens of thousands’ of people would be put to work immediately in high-skill jobs, say advocates.

The Vancouver Sun’s Op-ed Denying a Climate Crisis a Symbol of Wider Journalistic Malpractice
A journalist’s role is to seek truth, especially in the face of an emergency. But the media is not doing its job.

Yes, Planting Trees Can Fight Climate Change — If We Do It Right
New forests can store vast amounts of carbon, but we need a thoughtful global approach.

Youth Taking Action: Rallies across Canada Seek CBC Leaders’ Debate on Climate
Voters need to hear specifics on climate strategies and Green New Deal, say campaigners.

Changing Climate, Vanishing Old Growth Bring Increased Fire Risk for Coastal Forests
‘It’s getting worse,’ expert warns. ‘As the climate is shifting, these factors are becoming more extreme.’

Why Not an NDP-Green-Liberal Coalition to Battle the Climate Crisis?
Polls suggest a minority government, but we need a full coalition. Imagine the possibilities.

Andrew Scheer’s Real Bad Climate Plan
‘Sixty pages! 11,000 words!’ And designed to show voters he really doesn’t care.

We Asked Two Experts to Evaluate Each Party’s Climate Plan
At this point, which has the best chance of reducing emissions in a just way?

On Climate, Does Trudeau’s Canada Play Hero or Villain?
The Tyee asked global experts, and got some surprising answers.

What about that Green New Deal?

Good question. We’ve taken particular interest in the Green New Deal in the U.S. and its roots in Canada as well as its potential to get traction here. Some examples (and we’ll do more):

Inside the Race to Unify Progressives Behind a Canadian Green New Deal
‘This election might be our last best chance.’

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal: The Canadian Connection
How Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis are helping AOC reboot US politics.

The Green New Deal Battles Business as Usual. Both Will Doom Us
We’re clinging to fantasies while the world crumbles. And we like it that way.

With so much at stake in the days and weeks ahead, count on The Tyee to make a top priority of covering the climate crisis from many angles. You told us. We’re on it.