Between Our Steps: Climate Change is About More Than Just the Weather
As global emissions fuel crises in the Global South, Cathy Hird urges Grey-Bruce residents to act on climate justice — starting with what we consume and repair.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION
When I retired at the end of 2020, the first people to call and ask me to volunteer with them were a climate engagement group. Through 2021 and 2022, we offered online workshops using a tool the group had already developed called “The What to Do Wheel.”
The wheel offered examples of what people could do at different levels: personal, social and political. From the invitation to tune in to what is going on in nature to participating in political processes, the workshops helped people to see that they were not helpless. There were actions they could take on many levels.
In the Grey-Bruce area, one of the things that got people moving on climate action was Liz Zetlin’s film, Resilience: Transforming Our Community. It’s still available online if you have not seen it or want to watch it again.
In part, the film follows a local climate activist, John Anderson. The film premiered at the Roxy to a full house. People could see who shared their concerns, and a number of local initiatives took shape.
I got thinking about climate action again this fall for a couple of reasons. One was the extreme heat and drought this summer. We felt the effect of the changing climate right in our backyard. For the first time, I felt like I was living in a place where a wildfire could happen.
The other reason was that I was invited to join an animator’s circle for a group of Canadian delegates to the UN climate conference, COP 30. The delegation was put together by Kairos Canada (a group working with people of faith and conscience for ecological justice and human rights).
The circle's job was to amplify the voices of the delegation, which this year was largely Indigenous. This meant that I had a chance to listen in on their experience. I also took time to review the official reports and information posted by the World Council of Churches.
One of the points the delegation made over and over was that the people most affected by climate change are in the global south, while greenhouse gas emissions come mostly from the global north.
That shifts climate change from an environmental issue to a justice issue. In addition to analyzing weather patterns, we need to examine who benefits and who suffers.
Over the last few decades, how we talk about the changing climate has shifted.
At one time, we talked about global warming. The shift to “climate change” reminded us that it isn’t just temperature that matters, but shifts in wind strength, rainfall, and snow cover. The movement to talk about climate justice gives us a lens that helps us see who is affected and why it is hard for the global north, for the people of Grey-Bruce, to change. We have to give up stuff.
One of the things we have to give up is the idea that things are disposable. From clothes to appliances, there are sectors of our economy that want us to throw out last years things and buy new.
One of the initiatives in our community is the monthly Repair Café at the library. You can see posts on Facebook with people holding up the item they had repaired, often with the person who helped them standing beside them.
Not only are specific items rescued from landfill, but the café's idea reminds us that many things that break can be repaired. We don’t have to jump for the newest item.
COP 30 put climate change on the world’s radar for a few weeks. Those who attend are profoundly affected. The delegates come away frustrated by places where there is no action, inspired by new initiatives, and supported by the allies they met.
What matters is how they live out what they bring home. What matters is how the rest of us keep climate action on our agenda.
Locally, there are climate action networks in most municipalities. There are actions being taken, ways for each of us to make a difference. One place to start is the Grey Bruce Climate Action Network, found at gbcan.org.
Thank you to sponsors of The Owen Sound Current Writers’ Fund, who make these community contributions possible. Contributions from the community do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
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Thanks Cathy for keeping climate change part of the conversation and the concept that we can all do something to make a difference.
Great letter Cathy. Our group has a big project coming up at Grey Roots Museum in spring of next year. We are currently collecting people's personal stories of what changes they have observed, how it has affected them, and how they have had to adapt. Thanks for telling our story.