It’s time to ask politicians, "what steps have you personally taken to prepare for the coming climate collapse?"
With better questions we just might get some additional insight into how urgent this crisis really is.
Listen to a reading of this article.
Let’s stop pretending. We can see where we’re headed. 2050 net zero is a fantasy and every politician on the planet knows it. Just because they’re masters of manipulation doesn’t mean that they’re stupid. Far from it. They get regular updates! They see the rising temperatures. The failing crop reports. And they see the giant swaths of the planet that are on fire. They know what’s coming! And rest assured, they’re taking steps to protect themselves and their families.
So let’s talk about it. Let’s stop lapping up their nonsense like a bunch of hopeful puppies and just bring it all out in the open.
Let’s put on our big boy and big girl pants and push through the failed crops, crushing inflation, punishing heatwaves and raging wildfires to get personal. After all, we’re all going to have to adapt in some uncomfortable ways very soon - so let’s talk about it.
I’ll start.
Prime Minister Trudeau, (insert your politician of choice) what are you doing to prepare you and your family for the coming societal breakdown? (He might not like this opening question but I really don’t care. I don’t like his climate plan and he doesn’t seem to lose any sleep over that. From here, I’d like to get a little more specific and talk about the health of the people he loves.) Mr. Trudeau, how do you plan to get the medicine that your children, spouse, parents or grandparents might need when supply chains break down?
That wasn’t so hard? It gets easier once you get started.
How big is the backup generator that you have for your personal residence - you know, the one that will kick in seamlessly when the grid fails. How many days will it last? What arrangements have you made to secure additional diesel if necessary? Are you worried about your safety? How many special agents do you anticipate will be needed to protect your home and your stockpiles of food, energy and medicine?
How will people who don’t have a backup generator survive the sweltering heat? You know, the type of heat that's dangerous for humans because we can’t cool down - the wet bulb temperature. The type of heat that occurred in India a few weeks ago and that has now moved on to Europe to unleash raging wildfires.
Where is your second home? Is it on a lake or is it at higher elevation where it's cooler? Are you hoping that a jump in the lake will be a good way to cool off when the AC breaks down and the supply chain for parts screeches to a halt? What about people who don’t have a second house on a lake or in the mountains? What will they do? Fill their bathtubs? What are your plans for cooling shelters for the millions of people who will be at risk? What about food and medicine? How will you ensure that the hospitals remain open? Surely people who don’t come from your privilege have the right to provide healthcare and medication for their ailing parents?
What are your plans to deal with the huge spike in food inflation? I suppose your bloated salary and the many perks that you’ve become accustomed to will shield you for at least a while. Do you have a storage area in your home for weeks or even months of food? Have you built a greenhouse on your property for when food is no longer available? What’s your plan to help Canadian citizens who may not be able to prepare like you? How will you ensure that food won’t get stuck on highways or food depots as fuel runs out and replacement parts for broken trucks become impossible to find? And just in case you think that people will be able to hunt for their food. Guess again. The heat won’t only decimate our agriculture but it will also decimate the millions of animals that still live in the wild. So unfortunately, hunting them for our food won’t be much of an option.
Of course all of that sounds like a lot of work. Maybe you have a better plan - perhaps to leave the country? Do you have any wealthy friends who own private islands who will welcome you and your family? Perhaps you know a billionaire who has the means to build giant greenhouses on their private island to ensure a plentiful supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. Perhaps they also have giant freezers to store additional food and meat for years to come. And of course all of this will need a giant renewable energy infrastructure with an additional diesel storage facility to ensure that there’s plenty of energy to keep it all running.
Is that what you’re planning, Mr. Trudeau?
Oh that’s right - you do have a friendship with a billionaire. You vacationed on the private Island of Aga Khan a couple of years ago to the tune of 215k of taxpayer money. Isn’t that the same billionaire whose foundation was subsidized by your Liberal government to the tune of 50+ million in 2016 alone. Let’s hope that those personal (taxpayer) investments will pay off for you when the climate begins to collapse. At least you’ll have a place to go.
What about the rest of us? What are you doing for us? How will the people who are living from paycheck to paycheck survive? What investments are you making to protect the citizens of Canada? Where’s the massive investments to strengthen our aging grid? Where’s the massive investments to ensure that all Canadians will have reliable access to clean water and clean local energy? Where’s the massive investments to help build a more resilient agricultural system to contend with the coming droughts and deadly heat? Why haven’t you made these investments? Why haven’t you put a tax on the casino-like trading that takes place on our stock exchanges everyday to help pay for all of this? What’s your plan for the people, so that they don’t lose everything and start to listen to the conspiracy rantings of the next fascist demagogue?
I can see that you’re personally prepared but what about the rest of us? Because if you can’t protect the citizens who voted for you then I think it’s best that you just step aside. I could go on but I think I’ve made my point.
We all know what to do - the question is - will we make the same mistakes that were glorified under our failed capitalist system and try to survive as individuals for as long as we can, while the ecosystems around us fail? Or will we act collectively and try to ward off the next mass extinction.
Don’t leave it up to the politicians or the corporate billionaires - they have their plans ready to go and we’re not part of it. So, at the very least, let’s ask them some good questions and see what they’re thinking? It just might give us some additional insight into how urgent this crisis really is.
Thanks for reading!
Brad
July 2022
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