The fight against global warming and climate change should be non-partisan and yet it has become a culture war, especially in Canada.

The largest United Nations climate conference, COP28, is underway in Dubai and it appears that the oil companies are taking control.

The host nation, the United Arab Emirates is a major oil-producing country and has been accused of using the conference to make oil deals. Past climate conferences have had been attended by throngs of oil company lobbyists and this time will be no different.

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From Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 the world’s leaders will gather in Dubai to discuss the serious topic of climate change as the world hurtles toward a climate catastrophe.

This year is heading toward the hottest on record on a global scale, but it’s a record that won’t last long. Climatologists predict that conditions will get worse.

In recent years, we have had extreme weather including heat domes, wildfires, hurricanes, as well as giant icebergs breaking off Antarctic ice shelf raising sea levels. We are facing unprecedented climate change caused by global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

This year has been unusually warm. News anchors and meteorologists gloat about the lovely warm November we have had with very little snow and little ice on the lakes. It’s an example of global warming and it’s going to cost us.

Usually, snow comes after Halloween and winter begins. Now, we are still experiencing autumn.

Indigenous people worldwide are closest to the land, and we are on the front line of climate change. Each winter as it warms up, ice roads have a shorter time span; ice freezes later and becomes unsafe earlier and individuals travelling on lakes and rivers are becoming casualties to the dangerous ice conditions.

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In Canada the federal government is trying to provide leadership by supporting green industries and implementing a much-needed carbon tax. However, the provinces and Conservative opposition are reacting and ignoring climate change to the detriment of the rest of us.

It’s short-term politics for long term pain. Saskatchewan stands out as one of the biggest outliers. In 2021 the National Inventory Report published by Environment and Climate Change Canada stated that Saskatchewan led the country in per capita emissions.

Premier Moe’s reaction was “I don’t care.” He made the remark in a speech to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce in Prince Albert.

Recently, the Saskatchewan budget has gone from a surplus to a deficit. When pressed about it, Moe replied that it was caused by forest fires and drought conditions costing additional funds. This was Canada’s worst year on record for forest fires and global warming is the root cause.

Global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and it’s starting to bite into the province’s finances. Yet the government fights against the carbon tax. It’s time for Moe to care.

The fight against global warming and climate change should be non-partisan and yet it has become a culture war, especially in Canada. This week, the Alberta government invoked the sovereignty act to protect the province’s electrical utilities from Ottawa’s emissions regulations.

The new regulations haven’t even been finalized and it’s apparent that Premier Danielle Smith is spoiling for a fight with Ottawa and determined to continue to pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

To illustrate her support to the fossil fuel industry, in August she placed a six-month moratorium on new renewable energy projects. Now Canada wants to negotiate and Alberta wants to litigate.

Alberta and Saskatchewan are on wrong side of history, by not recognizing the need for action on climate change. Rather than legislate climate action initiatives, they are looking to technology such as carbon capture.

This is useful for large industrial plants, but the bulk of the carbon in the air gets there through a tailpipe. This is where carbon taxes come in and where the individual can contribute.

Global warming is a product of the burning of fossil fuels and placing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It will take time and a major commitment to reverse it. We need more electric vehicles, heat pumps and renewable energy projects if we are to turn the tide.

The next two weeks will be crucial to the planet’s future as the nations of the world must agree to make painful choices and get serious about our future.

Doug Cuthand is the Indigenous affairs columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post. He is a member of the Little Pine First Nation.

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QOSHE - Doug Cuthand: Sask. among governments opposing real climate action - Doug Cuthand
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Doug Cuthand: Sask. among governments opposing real climate action

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02.12.2023

The fight against global warming and climate change should be non-partisan and yet it has become a culture war, especially in Canada.

The largest United Nations climate conference, COP28, is underway in Dubai and it appears that the oil companies are taking control.

The host nation, the United Arab Emirates is a major oil-producing country and has been accused of using the conference to make oil deals. Past climate conferences have had been attended by throngs of oil company lobbyists and this time will be no different.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Don't have an account? Create Account

From Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 the world’s leaders will gather in Dubai to discuss the serious topic of climate change as the world hurtles toward a climate catastrophe.

This year is heading toward the hottest on record on a global scale, but it’s a record that won’t last long. Climatologists predict that conditions will get worse.

In recent years, we have had extreme weather including heat domes, wildfires, hurricanes, as well as giant icebergs breaking off Antarctic ice shelf raising sea levels. We are facing unprecedented climate change caused by global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

This year has been unusually warm. News anchors and meteorologists gloat about the........

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