Sierra Club Canada
September 24, 2008
Dear Sunshine Walk - Climate Justice Walk to Ottawa Organizers,
Sierra Club Canada wishes to convey its full support of the Sunshine Walk – Climate Justice Walk to Ottawa taking place between October 4th and 20th, 2008. We hope that your action will help to increase the awareness of the impacts of climate change on Canadians and Canadian ecosystems as well as global ecosystems and populations.
Climate change is an unparalleled and unequivocal man-made environmental crisis. Around the world we are already witnessing numerous climate change impacts, including ice-loss, drought, flooding, extreme weather events, and forest fires. In Canada, we have seen the melting of glaciers, the dramatic loss of sea-ice in the Arctic, loss of permafrost, and the destruction of forests by the pine beetle. Without immediate action, long-term impacts such as rising sea levels will result in millions of environmental refugees and destruction of crops will lead to world-wide famine.
In order to prevent catastrophically dangerous climate change, the global average temperature increase above pre-industrial levels must be kept below 2 degrees Celsius. In order achieve this, global greenhouse gas emissions must be stabilized and begin to decline before 2015, and be further reduced to less than 50 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050. This means that developed countries, including Canada, must reduce emissions 25 to 40 per cent by 2020, and 80 to 95 per cent by 2050. Canada’s current efforts to address climate change are insufficient and we must do much more.
We hope that your walk is a success and helps to further educate Canadians and governmental officials on the urgent need for action to address climate change.
Sincerely,
Stephen Hazell
Executive Director
412-1 Nicholas Street,
Ottawa ON
K1N 7B7
Tel: (613) 241-4611
Fax: (613) 241-2292
email: info@sierraclub.ca
web: http://www.sierraclub.ca/
Monday, September 29, 2008
The route
Saturday, October 4:
Toronto to Pickering
Sunday, October 5:
Pickering to Oshawa
Monday, October 6:
Oshawa to Newtonville
Tuesday, October 7:
Newtonville to Cobourg
Wednesday, October 8:
Cobourg to Colborne
Thursday, October 9:
Colborne to Trenton
Friday, October 10:
Trenton to Tyendinaga
Saturday, October 11:
Tyendinaga to Odessa
Sunday, October 12:
Odessa to Kingston
Monday, October 13:
Kingston to Godfrey
Tuesday, October 14:
Godfrey to Central Frontenac
Wednesday, October 15:
Central Frontenac to Perth
Thursday, October 16:
Perth to Carleton Place
Friday, October 17:
Carleton Place to Nepean
Saturday, October 18:
Nepean to Ottawa
Monday, October 20:
Parliament Hill
Toronto to Pickering
Sunday, October 5:
Pickering to Oshawa
Monday, October 6:
Oshawa to Newtonville
Tuesday, October 7:
Newtonville to Cobourg
Wednesday, October 8:
Cobourg to Colborne
Thursday, October 9:
Colborne to Trenton
Friday, October 10:
Trenton to Tyendinaga
Saturday, October 11:
Tyendinaga to Odessa
Sunday, October 12:
Odessa to Kingston
Monday, October 13:
Kingston to Godfrey
Tuesday, October 14:
Godfrey to Central Frontenac
Wednesday, October 15:
Central Frontenac to Perth
Thursday, October 16:
Perth to Carleton Place
Friday, October 17:
Carleton Place to Nepean
Saturday, October 18:
Nepean to Ottawa
Monday, October 20:
Parliament Hill
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Who IS walking the Sunshine Walk?
Dewan Shuaib Afzal
Last December 8th, during the Global Day of Action Against Climate Change, at the rally which took place in Yonge Dundas Square, one of the speakers, Dewan Shuaib Afzal, a Canadian of Bangladeshi origin, announced his intention to walk from Toronto to Ottawa to focus public attention on climate change. This idea struck a chord with number of people and the idea grew. Four years ago, Dewan Shuaib Afzal walked from Toronto to Niagara Falls to gather support to end racial profiling. It was the One Man March for Peace and Harmony.
Rita Bijons
Retired from a long career in teaching and, earlier, in the civil service, Rita draws inspiration from the beauty and complexity of the natural world, from love, and from the sacred. She is appalled by the rapid and pervasive degradation of ecosystems which she has witnessed. The only sane option now is to do all we can to assure a liveable world, and to "save the seed".
She completely agrees with Chris Turner's quote:
What else are you working on right now? What great project that would rest upon your soul like the many bars of ribbon on a war hero's chest? What that you would point to, and look your grandkids in the eye, and say, 'Now that was worth the fight'? I know how I'd answer this one: There's nothing else.
Only this:
To be part of the generation that beat climate change.
Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu
Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu has been giving her time for human rights issues for most of her adult life and obsessively for climate change work for 3 years. As a result her household today is more organic than she would like it and her 5 children, once carefully cultivated, are now free range. She takes daily walks to maintain her sanity and hopes to arrive in Ottawa with a clear head and full of hope as a new government is formed.
You?
Last December 8th, during the Global Day of Action Against Climate Change, at the rally which took place in Yonge Dundas Square, one of the speakers, Dewan Shuaib Afzal, a Canadian of Bangladeshi origin, announced his intention to walk from Toronto to Ottawa to focus public attention on climate change. This idea struck a chord with number of people and the idea grew. Four years ago, Dewan Shuaib Afzal walked from Toronto to Niagara Falls to gather support to end racial profiling. It was the One Man March for Peace and Harmony.
Rita Bijons
Retired from a long career in teaching and, earlier, in the civil service, Rita draws inspiration from the beauty and complexity of the natural world, from love, and from the sacred. She is appalled by the rapid and pervasive degradation of ecosystems which she has witnessed. The only sane option now is to do all we can to assure a liveable world, and to "save the seed".
She completely agrees with Chris Turner's quote:
What else are you working on right now? What great project that would rest upon your soul like the many bars of ribbon on a war hero's chest? What that you would point to, and look your grandkids in the eye, and say, 'Now that was worth the fight'? I know how I'd answer this one: There's nothing else.
Only this:
To be part of the generation that beat climate change.
Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu
Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu has been giving her time for human rights issues for most of her adult life and obsessively for climate change work for 3 years. As a result her household today is more organic than she would like it and her 5 children, once carefully cultivated, are now free range. She takes daily walks to maintain her sanity and hopes to arrive in Ottawa with a clear head and full of hope as a new government is formed.
You?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Letter from the David Suzuki Foundation
September 5, 2008
Dear Sunshine Walk Organizing Committee,
The David Suzuki Foundation fully supports the Sunshine Walk as a means of increasing public awareness onthe effects of climate change here in Canada and around the world. Climate change is considered by many scientists to be the most serious threat facing the world today. Canada's current efforts to address climate change are insufficient and a great deal of progress is necessary if we are to reach the science based target of at least a 25% reduction in GHG emissions by 2020 (from 1990 levels).
Informing people of the dire consequences that many regions around the world are already experiencing at the hands of climate change is important for understanding the magnitude of this crisis and how urgently we require solutions. Reaching out to people and discussing the contributing causes and solutions is an important part of building an informed environmental conscience in Canada and a society that will demand greater leadership on
this issue from its politicians.
We wish you all the best with this initiative and hope that your efforts will contribute to a greater public understanding of climate change and a demand for policy reform.
Sincerely,
Morag Carter
Director, Climate Change
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/
Dear Sunshine Walk Organizing Committee,
The David Suzuki Foundation fully supports the Sunshine Walk as a means of increasing public awareness onthe effects of climate change here in Canada and around the world. Climate change is considered by many scientists to be the most serious threat facing the world today. Canada's current efforts to address climate change are insufficient and a great deal of progress is necessary if we are to reach the science based target of at least a 25% reduction in GHG emissions by 2020 (from 1990 levels).
Informing people of the dire consequences that many regions around the world are already experiencing at the hands of climate change is important for understanding the magnitude of this crisis and how urgently we require solutions. Reaching out to people and discussing the contributing causes and solutions is an important part of building an informed environmental conscience in Canada and a society that will demand greater leadership on
this issue from its politicians.
We wish you all the best with this initiative and hope that your efforts will contribute to a greater public understanding of climate change and a demand for policy reform.
Sincerely,
Morag Carter
Director, Climate Change
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/
Financial support
People have been asking us how they can support the Sunshine Walk financially.
You can send a cheque, payable to Toronto Climate Campaign to the following address:
Toronto Climate Campaign
P.O. Box 19585
55 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3T9
Please be sure to indicate on the cheque that it is for the Sunshine Walk.
Thank you!
You can send a cheque, payable to Toronto Climate Campaign to the following address:
Toronto Climate Campaign
P.O. Box 19585
55 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3T9
Please be sure to indicate on the cheque that it is for the Sunshine Walk.
Thank you!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Does Anyone Care if Bangladesh Drowns
On Sunday, August 24, at Trinity-St. Paul's Church, our committee hosted an event with journalist and filmmaker Afsan Chowdhury about his movie:"Does Anyone Care if Bangladesh Drowns?" The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of the Sunshine Walk due to take place from Toronto to Ottawa from October 4 to 20.
Far from our eyes and experience, countries such as Bangladesh are already suffering greatly from the impacts of climate change. Afsan Chowdhury's moving documentary graphically illustrates this point.
If you missed the event, the film can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/afsan2008
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