Last week I was sitting in the forest by UVic when I heard a couple of great horned owls hooting. I looked up, and sure enough, one was perched right above me – a spectacular sight.
As Earth’s climate warms due to the burning of fossil fuels, the great horned owl’s habitat is threatened by wildfires, and nestlings are endangered by heat waves. Thus, the majestic owl shares a common need with every living being on Earth: the need for a deep and rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Fossil fuel companies knew in the 1970s that their products would eventually cause devastating climate change. Nevertheless, they have continued to inflame the issue, spreading propaganda to encourage climate denialism, and lobbying to prevent governments from taking climate action. For the fossil fuel industry, human and ecological suffering (via wildfires, heat waves, droughts, world hunger, and much more) are simply the costs of doing business.
Sue Big Oil wants to hold fossil fuel companies accountable by having local governments launch a class-action lawsuit against them. Both Saanich and the CRD are considering joining the case, which seeks monetary compensation for climate damages. The money for climate adaptation must come from somewhere: instead of having taxpayers clean up the fossil fuel industry’s mess, I say it is high time oil and gas companies change their ways and pay their fair share.
Saverio Colasanto
Saanich