Why Now?

carbondioxide1-617x416In the spring of 2013, the concentration of carbon-dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere reached 400 parts per million for the first time since humans have existed. The last time the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations were this high was about 450 million years ago, during the Pliocene period, long before our species emerged.

We cannot afford to keep ignoring climate change. It is happening now, and it is already claiming victims. Droughts, floods and famine, rising sea levels, shrinking ice sheets, ocean acidification, and other extreme weather events are all effects of climate change and they are causing suffering all over the world.

It is high time that the policy makers, the popular media, and the greater public begin to acknowledge the reality of climate change, and to recognize the people who are already suffering its effects.
That is why Climate Justice Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Eco Network, Saskatchewan Environmental Society, National Farmers Union, and Green Energy Project Saskatchewan are coming together to bring you The Saskatchewan Citizens’ Hearing on Climate Change. This two-day event will feature concise presentations from scientists, teacher, newcomers to Canada, ethicists, business and labour leaders, affected groups, and others who wish to speak about the causes, effects, and possible responses to climate change in Saskatchewan and around the world.

Most importantly, the hearings will be a chance for the too-often voiceless victims of climate change to let their stories be known. We hope the hearings will help to “put a face” to climate change and the innovative responses people in Saskatchewan are working on.