HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-04-22, Page 5Wednesday, April 22, 2015 • News Record 5
www.clintonnewsrecord.com
letters to the editor
Harper needs to step up in the face of climate change
To the Editor:
Today is Earth Day, a most
important day on which to cele-
brate and to be thankful, since our
amazing human substance is of
the earth, and is imbued with
spirit and with evolutionary intel-
ligence. These are aspects which
humans share with all the earth's
flora and fauna.
Planet Earth is forever changing.
Planet Earth and the universe
appear to possess their own mys-
terious agenda for change and
evolution. At this point in time, as
never before, it is most apparent
that the future path of the earth's
evolution will be significantly
affected by human behaviour.
Individually and collectively, we
can choose to be good or bad
stewards of the earth's bounty.
What has become increasingly
apparent since the industrial revo-
lution is the crescendo of demands
for fossil fuel -based energy and of
the earth's other finite natural
resources. This, coupled with the
burgeoning human population
which the earth supports, has
resulted in massive pollution and
degradation of the planet's ecosys-
tems. Collectively, the human spe-
cies deserves an F for our steward-
ship of this wondrous planet. If
allowed to continue unchecked,
our collective materialism, con-
sumerism and lack of action as
earth stewards will doom future
generations to a markedly dimin-
ished quality of health and life. As
Dr. David Suzuki so poignantly
states, "The environment is not
something that is, 'out there.' We
are the environment."
The good news is that there is
still time to restore some of the
environmental damage, which
decades of unnecessary neglect
and greed have caused. Other
than the persistent possibility of a
nuclear war, either by accident or
by conscious design, there is no
greater threat to the environment
and to our collective health and
wellbeing than climate change.
On the issue of climate
change, Noble laureate Desmond
Tutu, former archbishop of Cape
Town and an anti-apartheid cru-
sader, said, "to serve as custodi-
ans of creation is not an empty
title; it requires that we act, and
with all the urgency this dire situ-
ation demands."
In Naomi Klein's recent
book, This Changes Every-
thing, she states, "I think that all
of us should take the word of
ninety seven percent of climate
scientists and their countless
peer-reviewed articles, as well as
every national academy of sci-
ence in the world, not to mention
establishment institutions like the
World Bank and the International
Energy Agency, all of which are
telling us we are headed toward
catastrophic levels of warming." I
believe that most Canadians
believe the ninety seven percent
of professional climate scientists.
Why do we have a prime minister
who choses to be unwilling to
deal with this life -destroying
issue? During his almost nine-
year reign, Prime Minister Harper
has dismantled many of the laws
which protected the environment
and hence our human and eco-
logical health and wellbeing. His
lack of leadership on climate
change is appalling.
At some level, I believe that
Mr.Harper knows the gravity of
the crisis of climate change, yet
he fails to address this most criti-
cal issue of our time in a mean-
ingful way. His myopic vision,
together with his relentless pur-
suit of excavating the tar sands
and fracking for gas, at tremen-
dous cost to the environment and
our native people, will be the
most remembered legacy of his
nine years of rule of this fine
country. Fortunately, Canadians
still have time to read Naomi
Klein's exceptionally well -
researched book, This Changes
Everything, before we go to the
polls in October.
Jim Hollingworth, M.D.
From the archives
15 years ago...
• The county agreed to erect a
new cairn to mark the graves
of Clinton residents. The for-
mer cairn was removed in 1998
from behind the Health and
Library Complex. The Stone
Angels were behind this move-
ment to see the resting places
marked with three replica
plaques for the 124 people
buried there.
• RCMP seized a distillery from
a Stanley Township man
attempting to become the
"King of Beers."
• Clinton native Scott Jewitt
returned to town after playing
pro -hockey in Sweden. His
plan was always to return to
his hometown, "I love Clinton.
This is where my life is, my
family, my friends."
25 years ago...
■ Jennifer Hodgins' essay for
Clinton Legion's annual essay
contest went on the win the
top prize in Ontario.
• The first back machine was
installed at the Clinton branch
of the Royal Bank. Customers
were encouraged to activate
their Client Cards in an effort
to promote use of the machine.
• The Ministry of Agriculture
and Food's Junior Agricultural-
ist Program celebrate is twenti-
eth year. "The Junior Agricul-
turalist Program is a great
opportunity for student to find
out what the work on a farm is
all about," said Ontario Minis-
ter of Agriculture and Food,
David Ramsay.
35 years ago...
• The Bank of Montreal's Hensall
branch was robbed. No one
was hurt but the suspects fled
to Stratford. Two men in their
twenties were arrested and
charged with robbery.
• Helen Stonehouse, a corre-
spondent for The Huron
Expositor and Clinton News
Record, won second place in
the Ontario Community News-
paper Awards for 20 years of
service.
KIP'S HELP PHONE
cia
FREE EMERGENCY CALL
1-800-668-6868
RUNAWAY, SICK,
IN DANCER,
IN TROUBLE
r
The Clinton News Record has joined
the online conversation.
Follow us on Twitter.
Find us o � twitter"
facebook. @ClintonNewsRcrd