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It’s Earth Day: 100 business leaders, scientists, academics, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists & environmental leaders from across Canada teamed up to send an urgent message to Canadians: Demand a thought out climate action plan from your politicians! - Environmental Communication Options/Huff Strategy

It’s Earth Day: 100 business leaders, scientists, academics, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists & environmental leaders from across Canada teamed up to send an urgent message to Canadians: Demand a thought out climate action plan from your politicians!

Apr 22nd, 2019 5:56 AM

Over 100 past recipients of Canada’s Clean50 Awards shared a message today in an open letter to all Canadians: - Climate change is real, and needs to be treated as the emergency it is, at every level of government - On a per-capita basis, Canadians are amongst the very worst GHG polluters in the world and worst in the G7. We cannot expect others to act when we do not. - Canadians need to address our carbon pollution on an urgent basis - It’s not all cost and negatives: There’s a $30 Trillion market opportunity in fighting climate change in which we need to share - new technologies, new companies and lots of jobs. - Charging for creating carbon pollution is the fastest and most effective way to cut GHG emissions and drive change - Most importantly, the open letter asks all Canadians to demand action from their politicians, to treat the climate as the single most important issue in every election, and to only support politicians who have a well-articulated plan to take climate action on an urgent basis. The letter appears on the Clean50.com website, and in the Report on Business of the Globe and Mail. Full text and signatories are attached. About the Clean50 Awards: Each fall, Canada’s Clean50 Awards honour 50 individual leaders, 10 Emerging Leaders and 20 sustainability projects selected from over 500 nominations from across Canada, and drawn from every segment of Canadian life, to recognize the individuals and projects that have done the most to advance sustainable development in Canada over the prior two years. For more information Gavin Pitchford, CEO Delta Management Group / Executive Director, Clean50 - 416-925-2005 x 2300 / gpitchford@deltamanagement.com The full text of the letter follows: AN OPEN LETTER to OUR FELLOW CANADIANS We, past and present Canada’s Clean50 Award winners, represent a wide cross section of Canadians from business, science, government and academia. We are very concerned that some Canadians and politicians alike have failed to recognize both the tremendous economic opportunity in decisively addressing the increasingly urgent climate crisis, and the looming threat to our shared future, should we continue to ignore it. We are asking all Canadians to make climate their very top priority in upcoming elections. Taking immediate action to limit climate change, and mitigate its impacts on Canada, needs to be considered an emergency at every level of government. A recent study shows that Canada’s climate is warming twice as fast as expected. The best time to act is now. We simply cannot afford to postpone a response any longer. Some individuals will try to claim that Canada is not the problem - that the problem is China or India or the USA. Unfortunately, that is simply not true. Countries don’t cause carbon pollution: People do! Canadians may be surprised to learn that on a per-person basis, we Canadians are the worst offenders in the G7*. Canadians, on average, produce 2.5 times more carbon pollution per person than do the Chinese, 9 times more than do Indians, and 5% more than Americans*. We are two to three times worse than the Japanese, the English, the French, and the Germans*. We simply cannot reasonably expect other countries to take meaningful action to reduce their country’s emissions, when our emissions are actually rising. Others will claim that present warming trends are part of a “natural cycle”. Science clearly tells us that is not true, that in fact temperatures should actually have been decreasing each century over the past 6,000 years*. Instead, temperatures have risen steadily, and the 5 hottest years ever recorded have been the last 5 years*. Climate change is real - and by both burning too many carbon based fuels - and cutting down the trees needed to absorb that carbon, humans are responsible*. Some politicians claim that “Carbon Taxes Kill Jobs” or that they don’t work. Neither claim is true. Leading economists around the world agree: Charging polluters is the very best way to cut emissions. Overwhelming evidence shows that taxing GHGs leads to reductions in GHGs and spurs investment in infrastructure, new technologies and building renovations by companies and individuals. Growth that creates companies, and more jobs - not fewer - while improving the environment.* Leading the fight against carbon pollution offers Canadians the chance to share in a massive $30 trillion market opportunity by 2030*. That’s 18 times Canada’s entire present GDP*. As current leaders in the clean tech industry, Canada is well positioned to continue growing with this market. Over 280,000 Canadian workers are already employed in “green economy” jobs*, and Canada ranked third on a recent list, with 12 of the top 100 clean tech companies in the world*. Charging pollution taxes will only increase the number of Canadian companies creating clean tech solutions and jobs. And while we know many of our industries are declining, jobs in the “green economy” continue to grow, and at $94,000, pay 48% better than the average Canadian job. When deciding who will earn your votes, now and in years to come, we urge you to vote only for candidates who have a credible plan to cut carbon emissions. We ask you to demand that our leaders seize this opportunity to ensure we both slow down climate change, and build the most prosperous, lowest carbon future we can give to ourselves and our children: An economy that will offer Canadians a healthy environment, and growth and prosperity for years to come. Signed: Where shown, both the Clean50 honouree and their organizations support this message: Guy Adam Alliance Magnesium Wayne Addison Kiko Water Systems Kerry Adler CEO, SkyPower Global Meredith Adler Student Energy Kazi Ahmed CEO, Betterfrost Technologies Celine Bak Analytica Advisors Kody Baker CEO, VeloMetro Mobility Helle Bank Jorgensen Competent Boards Lisa Bate Chair, WorldGBC Mike Battistel President, Cascadia Windows Eric Bauce Université Laval Eric Beckwitt Freightera Mikele Brack UPPlift Kevin Brady Sustainable Enterprise Consulting Bryan Buggey Vancouver Economic Commission Stephen Cheeseman Chinook Power Eric Chisholm Purpose Building John Coyne Vice President, Unilever Ron Dembo CEO, Zerofootprint Software Frank Dottori CEO, WRC Timber Frances Edmonds HP Canada Stewart Elgie Smart Prosperity Institute Ted Ferguson President, The Delphi Group Aaron Freeman Pivot Strategic Consulting Miranda Fuller Oxford Community Energy Coop Mike Gerbis CEO, GLOBE Series John Grace UBC Tim Gray Environmental Defence Jim Harris Strategic Advantage Brett Henkel Inventys Charles Hopkins UNESCO Chair York University Celesa Horvath Ventus Development Services Mohamed Khalil CEO, Pyrocycle Dr. Patrick Kiely CEO, Island Water Technologies Joanna Kyriazis Clean Energy Canada Trevor Langdon President, Green Standards Dustyn Lanz Responsible Investment Assoc. Jean Luc Lavergne CEO, Lavergne Groupe Steve S.J. Lee 3% Project Peter Love Love Energy Consultants Damon Matthews Concordia University Paul Mertes CEO, CircuitMeter Alex Mifflin SK FILMS Tyler Mifflin SK Films Rob Niven CEO, CarbonCure Sandra Odendahl CMC Research Nicholas Parker Parker Venture Management Emily Partington Quinn & Partners Simon Pickup CEO, Hydra Energy Gavin Pitchford CEO, Delta Management Mario Plourde CEO Cascades Catherine Potvin McGill University Tony Pringle Quinn & Partners Joan Prowse CineFocus Canada Juergen Puetter Renewable Hydrogen Canada Grace Quan CEO, Hydrogen In Motion Francisca Quinn Quinn & Partners Tom Rand ArcTern Ventures Fidel Reijerse CEO, RESCo Energy André Rochette CEO, Ecosystem Dianne Saxe Saxe Facts Craig Scott Ecology North Elizabeth Sheehan Climate Smart Merran Smith Clean Energy Canada Shirley Speakman Cycle Capital Christie Stephenson Dhillon Centre UBC Coro Strandberg President, Strandberg Consulting Katie Sullivan Managing Director, IETA Bruce Taylor CEO, Enviro-Stewards George Tsintzouras CEO, Alert Labs Wal van Lierop Chrysalix VC David Van Seters Sustainability Ventures Doug Webber Purpose Building Jonathan Webster CEO, EnvAerospace Lloyd A. Bryant Jim Burpee Chris M Campbell PhD Richard Corley Dana Decent Brian Denney Audrey Dépault Chantale Despres Ron Dizy Tom Ewart Diane Kilcoyne Karen Lockridge Jennifer McLaughlin Antony Marcil Darryl Neate Chad Park Kevin Quinlan Dan Rames Shoshanna Saxe Kekinusuqs Judith Sayers Ron Seftel Vicky Sharpe Serguei Tchertok Keyvan Cohanim *every claim made in this letter is backed up by fact. Full explanation of the details are available at the on-line version of this statement, which can be found at www.clean50.com/2019openletter