enviornment – The Concordian

More needs to be done to deter a climate crisis, said organizers

A protest for climate and social justice took place on Sept. 26, starting at Place du Canada. The event began with a word from the organizers about safety measures and a few speeches from different invited organizations. Then, the climate march, encased by police officers, led protesters through Montreal’s streets to the Parc des Faubourgs where closing speeches were given.

One year after the historic climate march that brought over 500,000 people to Montreal’s streets, little action has been taken by the government, said protest organizers. Carbon neutrality by 2030, a full recognition of Indigenous sovereignty on the territory and defunding the police were at the heart of the discussion.

Several social justice groups organized the protest, including La Coalition étudiante pour un virage environnemental et social (CEVES), la Planète s’invite au Parlement (LPSP) and the Defund the Police Coalition.

John Nathaniel Gertler, member of CEVES and one of the organizers of the protest, told The Concordian that the message they want to pass on is not the same as last year.

For Anne-Marie Lortie, a student in Urban Planning at Concordia, it was important to be there.

“I was there last year … and one year later, there are still no changes. I think we need to reiterate the message until someone understands.”

Intersectionality: a voice for everybody

For Elijah Olise, spokesperson for the Racial Justice Collective and for the Defund the Police Coalition, the link between racial justice and climate justice is clear.

“People who are affected by climate changes [are] the most marginalized people and that is not by accident. That is a choice made by the people who take the decisions in our communities,” he said in a speech before the march.

For him, it was important to give a voice to minorities in the fight for climate justice.

“Across Canada, toxic dumps, risky pipeline projects and tainted drinking water disproportionally curse Indigenous and Black communities. I want these people that I am talking about to be seen and heard and feel powerful,” he added.

Many other organizations walked during the protest including IRA Mauritanie, which fights against Black discrimination in Mauritania.

“We are in the 21st century and still Black people are being killed, being dispossessed of their land and their rights. We are fighting for the independence of human dignity,” said spokesperson for IRA Mauritanie.

The importance of a protest even during a pandemic

When Montreal was declared an orange zone last week, organizers had a meeting to discuss the legitimacy of still holding a protest.

“The thing to keep in mind is that coronavirus is a health crisis for sure, but the things we are discussing here are just as much risks for people’s lives and livelihoods, if not more,” said Gertler.

The organizers prepared different protocols to ensure the protest met health and safety guidelines. Volunteers were on the field distributing masks and ensuring social distancing between protesters.

“A big thing we knew was that protests don’t seem to be the biggest spread [of the virus] … we are all outside, we are all [keeping] our distance,” added Gertler.

Milan Codbecq-Pérus, a volunteer at the protest declared, “We can exercise our right to democracy despite the situation. There is a way to be safe and responsible and to maintain social distancing while demonstrating our discontent.”

Photos by Mina Collin

When the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral burned, I was heartbroken – to see walls filled with history, culture, and years of human nuance being devoured by red flames was a sight to make the eyes burn.

The world was in an uproar, pictures of the beautiful church were everywhere, hashtags on social media were immediately trending. The media talked of nothing else.

Now, over 7,200 square miles of the Amazon have been burning since July. As a result, 131 Indigenous communities are turning into ash, and 3 million different species of plants and animals are suffering. It took the world three weeks to pay attention. It took the media three weeks to talk about it.

But still, leaders from the G-7 Summit offered up to $20 million US towards aid for the Amazon. And yet, the offer was refused by Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, because of a feud with the French president and summit host, Emmanuel Macron. Bolsonaro insisted that in order for there to be ‘talks,’ Macron should apologize. I would call this disturbed priorities from the leader of a country in a crisis.

My questions are directed towards the journalists. I understand that the Notre-Dame was caught on video and happened in one of the most populated areas in the world. But the Amazon is called the lungs of this planet. Why did it take three weeks?

The rainforest is the world’s biggest terrestrial carbon sinker and is now at risk of becoming dry land. I can’t help but feel that had the world known earlier, we could’ve acted earlier – maybe even prevented this.

“Scientists say the Amazon is approaching a tipping point, after which it will irreversibly degrade into a dry savannah,” journalist Jonathan Watts wrote for the Guardian. “At a time when the world needs billions more trees to absorb carbon and stabilise the climate, the planet is losing its biggest rainforest.”

Carole Pires wrote in the The New Yorker that Bolsonaro said more land in the Amazon should be used for farming, mining, and logging. Much like Trump, Bolsonaro is known for caring little about the environment. His campaign was fueled with racism, discrimination, and the incessant need to commercialize the entire country. His priorities have always been towards the green – just not the right one.

In what was the most environmentally ignorant act I’ve ever heard, Brazil’s president encouraged deforestation. Brought to us by Bolsonaro, Aug. 10 became Fire Day – a day when loggers intentionally set fire to clear the land for agriculture. According to Pires, Brazilian space satellites caught surges of wildfire soon after, and three weeks later a smokey apocalypse filled the skies of Sao Paulo – thousands of miles to the south. However, on Aug. 29, Bolsonaro issued a fire ban – for 60 days.

The problem didn’t start with the fire, and it will not end in 60 days. The problem is the fundamental misplacement of our leaders’ priorities. It’s a deep lack of ethical and moral values. It’s that we are not claiming responsibility, because it is ours. Was it not the majority of us who elected them?

The Amazon burning is a symbol that represents the casualties of greed. Burning rainforests, the loss of indigenous homes, climate change… All of these world problems have one dominant factor: prioritizing businesses and material gain at the expense of our Earth’s well-being.

Graphic by Victoria Blair