Here are some things you can do today to help our corner of the world do its part in combating the climate crisis. We have arranged them into categories to match different levels of ambition and energy. Just remember that every action that you take will make a difference.
Sign a Petition
Stop Canada Pension Plan from investing in Fossil FuelsThe government of Canada has committed itself with other nations in the Paris climate talks to reducing annual emissions of carbon into the atmosphere by 30% less than 2005 by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and other government bodies should actively pursue the same objectives.
Sign this petition telling Trudeau and his cabinet that you support a Green and Just Recovery from COVID-19.
Sign this petition to stop the Canada Pension Plan from investing our money in fossil fuels.
Sign this petition urging Shell to withdraw from Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), the biggest oil lobby group in Canada and the single biggest barrier to implementing climate action policies that could help us meet Canada’s goals.
Sign this petition from 350.org. With Morneau gone, we have our best chance to push the government to tell us the true cost of the TransMountain pipeline. Will you sign the 350.org petition calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Freeland to release the numbers immediately?
Sign this official Canadian Government Parliamentary petition #e2542 from Citizens Climate Lobby needs 78 more signatures to reach 1000. The deadline is Tuesday August 18. Please sign it.
Sign this petition asking the TV networks to say more about the Climate Crisis. What if a tree burns in the forest and everyone sees it on TV, but no one says why it caught on fire? Noting that “it’s been 15 years since Hurricane Katrina left its mark on New Orleans, and news outlets are still failing to discuss the links between fossil fuel pollution, climate change, and extreme weather,” the N.G.O. Progress America has a petition asking the networks to take note.
Sign this petition to “compel the City of Peterborough to invest in clean zero emission transportation.”
Sign the Clean Air Alliance petition to phase-out Ontario’s gas-fired power plants by 2030.
Write
Send a Letter to the Ontario Government protesting Bill 197.When Doug Ford fast-tracked Bill 197 and weakened environmental assessments, he failed to ask the public first. This is illegal under the Environmental Bill of Rights, which guarantees every Ontarian 30 days to comment on changes that could harm the environment. The Auditor says that Bill 197 is “not compliant with the law.” These same illegal tactics were used to cancel climate action, and the courts reprimanded the Premier in 2019, telling him he is “not above the law.” The only way to make this right is to withdraw schedule 6 of Bill 197.
Write a letter to tell Trudeau’s cabinet that you support a Green and Just Recovery from COVID-19. You can find a sample letter and cabinet ministers’ email addresses here.
Send this letter fromEcoJustice to tell your local MP to support a climate accountability framework.
Send a Letter to the Ontario Government protesting Bill 197. When Doug Ford fast-tracked Bill 197 and weakened environmental assessments, he failed to ask the public first. This is illegal under the Environmental Bill of Rights, which guarantees every Ontarian 30 days to comment on changes that could harm the environment. The Auditor says that Bill 197 is “not compliant with the law.” These same illegal tactics were used to cancel climate action, and the courts reprimanded the Premier in 2019, telling him he is “not above the law.” The only way to make this right is to withdraw schedule 6 of Bill 197.
Tell your pension fund to protect our environment. For example, “Canada’s Pension Plan of $400 billion does not consider global warming when investing our pension money according to a 2019 report by the Corporate Mapping Project and CCPA of British Columbia.”
Write your MP (In Peterborough riding Maryam.Monsef@parl.gc.ca) and ask her to support the plan for a green and just economic recovery from COVID-19, prepared by the Task Force for Resilient Recovery.
Register your opposition to the Ontario Government’s plan to attack the mandates of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities. Click here to read more and submit a letter to register your opposition.
Read
Learn how to talk to kids about climate changeLearn suggestions from MakeItBetterOntario how to talk to kids about climate change. Their toolkit, Let’s Talk: A Kit for Communicating with Children about Climate Change was developed to help parents and teachers to empower children to tackle climate change issues and address concerns affecting their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Read About out Energy vs Climate, either their web site, their podcast, or their YouTube channel where the panelists break down the trade-offs and hard truths of the energy transition in Alberta, Canada, and beyond.
Learn suggestions from MakeItBetterOntario how to talk to kids about climate change. Their toolkit, Let’s Talk: A Kit for Communicating with Children about Climate Change was developed to help parents and teachers to empower children to tackle climate change issues and address concerns affecting their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Watch
You Matter More than you ThinkJoin the webinar on December 3rd, Read the book, learn from You Matter More Than You Think why you as an individual matter when it comes to responding to climate change and other global crises.
Watch the movie, 2040, available on Vimeo at this link for free until October 25th through The Climate Reality Project. You will need to create a free Vimeo account if you don’t already have one. It’s easy.
Join the webinar on December 3rd, Read the book, learn from You Matter More Than You Think why you as an individual matter when it comes to responding to climate change and other global crises.
Sign up for this virtual book tour promoting Seth Klein’s new book, The Good War. explores how we can align our politics and economy with what the science says we must do to address the climate crisis based on lessons we can draw from the Second World War, when Canada faced a similarly existential threat. According to Seth, Canada’s wartime experience provides an inspirational reminder that we have done this before.
Join
Join the Count Us In campaign from the Guardian.Count Us In invites people to sign up online for the steps they want to take and a level of commitment, such as moving permanently to a different diet or promising not to fly over a specified period.
There are 16 steps on offer, of varying levels of difficulty. These range from having your house insulated, buying an electric car or solar panels and opting to fly less, to writing to political representatives and reusing and repairing belongings rather than buying new ones.
Join the Count Us In campaign from The Guardian to help you track the personal actions you have committed to to combat the climate crisis.
Have your say on Peterborough’s Transportation Master Plan by completing this survey. Actions such as prioritizing active transportation, transit fleet electrification, avoiding the Parkway extension, promoting higher downtown and main road densities, and streamlined traffic controls will all have a positive influence on addressing the climate crisis.
