The Canadian government has officially declared a national climate emergency.
A motion was put forward by Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, and it referred to climate change as a “real and urgent crisis, driven by human activity.” The motion was passed by a vote of 186-63 this week, and it also urged that “Canadians are feeling the impacts of climate change today, from flooding, wildfires, heat waves, and other extreme weather events which are projected to intensify in the future.”
With the longest coastline in the world and one-quarter of the world's freshwater, Canada has a unique responsibility — and opportunity — to lead in reducing plastic pollution. Together, we can grow our economy and protect the places that Canadians love. https://t.co/ODqQwyLwuz
— Catherine McKenna 🇨🇦 (@cathmckenna) June 18, 2019
The vote was called to support a meaningful effort in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all aspects of the economy to promote a healthier, cleaner, and safer future for Canadians. Additionally, because it has been declared a climate emergency, it requires “Canada to commit to meeting its national emissions target under the Paris Agreement and to making deeper reductions in line with the Agreement’s objective of holding global warming below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.”
The motion was passed because of the support of the Liberals, NDP, Greens Party, and Bloc Quebecois, while the Conservative Party voted against the motion.
Yesterday, the Conservatives voted against declaring a climate emergency. Canadians expect leaders to take climate change seriously — but it's clearer than ever before that the Conservatives just aren't ready to join Canadians in this fight. https://t.co/pfJNkmeT0m
— Catherine McKenna 🇨🇦 (@cathmckenna) June 18, 2019