The wise and the brave
History is full of wise and brave leaders. These were smart people who listened to qualified experts and made difficult decisions for the good of humanity and their citizens. These great leaders are and will be remembered fondly by history and by those who knew them personally. And then there are others.
Right here in the Cowichan Valley there exists elected government officials who scoff at the science of human caused climate change, who say the problem is not us and is not ours. They say it is China or India. Even though we are no more entitled, our per capita emissions are double and triple theirs. Thankfully, when the tide of fascism was rolling across the continent, Churchill did not stubbornly insist that Nazis are an unproven theory and that until Europe did more to confront their fascism problem, we the British, shall keep our heads in the sand. Sadly, it seems, in some quarters wisdom and bravery are in short supply.
Of course we need to prepare for the coming climate change, as suggested by the mayor of North Cowichan, but surely we do not have to wait until a North Cowichan community looks like Lytton, B.C. before we realize that everyone must reduce GHGs. If wealthy polluters like Canada do not lead the charge, we cannot expect poor nations to join this urgent battle to curb emissions while we continue to pour fossil fuels on the fires of climate change.
When we find ourselves in an inconvenient fossil fuel fire, one would think a wise and brave leader would first try to turn off the gas pump before focusing on adjusting the air conditioning.
David Slade
Cobble Hill