HERE'S THE SITCH, PEOPS:

 (My reply to another short-sighted article LINK 2 ARTICLE that slams Canada's indigenous policies while promoting our most destructive & polluting practices..)  WHERE DOES IT END?  Well, here's the Big Pic kids..

Canada's 'resource-based' economy = extracting/ logging/ mining (STEALING), by THE most destructive, non-renewable & unsustainable methods, the natural 'resources' that sustain us (that we need to live) to supply other 'starter' economies around the globe with THEIR means to become self-destructing extinction cultures like ours -- & sustain the wealthiest co's/ people so THEIR (polluting & prodigious) needs are met!??

To illuminate this sick (doomed) scenario, see what dictator Pres. Bolsonaro & co. are doing in Brazil right now: driving indigenous native people from their territories; grabbing land/stealing Amazon rainforest to re-purpose for beef cattle, mining etc.; & igniting the last pristine 'Lungs of the Earth' while lining their accounts with the profits.. 

Well guess what?  That's exactly the basis for Canada's economy -- only we're much further along than Brazil, catching up to economies older than ours which are now mostly barren desert, by continuing those same ecocidal industries apace - despite science's dire & repeated warnings.. 

One would think we'd learn from past mistakes, as those former 'star' empires struggle now with droughts & famine & water shortages, having raped THEIR 'natural resources' that enriched THEIR long-dead ruling elite centuries before..

Canada's been among the world's richest economies for barely 150 years & look at the predicted results!  Our lying, thieving leaders have betrayed us -- & we're dumb enough to keep accepting the 'status quo''s continuation instead of wisely choosing ethical green leaders who'll make the changes needed to restore our forests (if there's any old-growth left) & make a viable future for our kids.. & their kids..!!???

Letter#13 to Cdn. Govt - #ProtectNature

MSM (Mainstream media) is warning Cdns a federal election is imminent.  If you go to David Suzuki Foundation's website you too can edit your own letter to Govt. on issues about which you care -- & have them sent for you via their database!  This particular one gets sent to all Cdn. political leaders..

Dear [recipients' names and positions will go here], 

I’m writing you & all federal party leaders because I’m deeply worried about Canadian governments’ efforts to protect & restore nature. 

Changes are needed- now - to ensure future generations will thrive. We can & must do better!

Our landscapes — from coast to coast to coast — are part of our identities. Yet keystone species, like the boreal woodland caribou (honoured on our 25-cent coins), are on the brink of extinction throughout Canada. 

We continue to allow industrial development in the boreal forest — “the lungs of the north” — & logging of our precious old-growth forests at unsustainable rates. Traffic & pollution in our oceans is jeopardizing the future of key aquatic species, from orcas & North Atlantic right whales to salmon. We use systemic pesticides like neonicotinoids & glyphosate that are proven to harm ecosystems & essential pollinators. 

The science is clear: our current marine & land use practices are degrading & destabilizing oceans & remaining wilderness, putting millions of species on the brink of extinction. Canada must protect & restore our most at-risk ecosystems so that nature can continue to support biodiversity. 

We’re already experiencing the devastating consequences of decades of over-exploitation. As we learn more about nature’s capacity to sequester carbon & protect us from the impacts of climate change - eg. Disease, flooding, wildfires - the need for action becomes even more urgent. 

The 2020s must be our transformation decade. Research shows that in nature the entire system benefits when individual species thrive. We need to heed this lesson & prioritize the health of the planet, our only home. 

Please commit your party to working on measures to ensure that by 2025: 

●At least 25% of Canada’s land & water is under formal protection, & the majority of Canada’s natural areas provide conditions for abundance; 

●Federal incentives & resources are in place to enable communities to reduce their environmental footprints & embed nature-based solutions in their operations. 

A mass species extinction & biodiversity loss crisis is upon us, but so are solutions. Let’s urgently protect nature & the most at-risk species. Because when nature thrives, we all thrive. 

Thank you for your commitment to protecting nature’s diversity & the well-being of all life, now & for the future. 

Sincerely, 

SARAH (SAZ) CHESTERMAN

Latest letter#12 to BC-NDP Govt

 (From an app on David Suzuki Foundation website)

Dear [recipient name will go here], I am deeply concerned that under your watch, industry continues to log some of the last old-growth forests in B.C. You are failing to meet your election promise to protect these ancient forests & their globally rare ecosystems! By now you must know that few old-growth forests with huge trees remain.. & we need your leadership to keep these ancient trees & their ecosystems alive!? Please act now to: 

●Immediately curtail logging in all old-growth forest areas in B.C., giving special attention to preserving high-productivity forests, not just individual trees. Without immediate protection, many of these forests will disappear before your Old-Growth Review Panel recommendations come into effect in 2023. 

●With much of BC's forests now burned by wildfire, limit logging co's to harvesting affected trees only (as they've a maximum of 2 years to do so economically) to limit waste & allow regrowth - & to make co's responsible for their practices' consequences; 

●Work with Indigenous communities to implement the Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel’s recommendations now. Provide a timeline, funding & resources to support this work throughout B.C. & ensure their free, prior & informed consent. Current permits & plans don’t meet this standard. 

●Provide a transition to Indigenous- & community-led sustainable 2nd-growth forestry that focuses on value over volume models. If done right, switching to logging secondary forests can ensure our precious old-growth forests remain intact; 

●Commit to a green & just recovery that puts people & ecosystem health first. 

We need thriving nature to build back better: this means protecting non-timber values of old-growth ecosystems like drinking water, flood/ fire mitigation & biodiversity while also addressing the needs of workers & communities transitioning out of old, unsustainable practices. 

Please save our remaining old-growth forests or they may soon be gone forever! Old-growth forests are irreplaceable. With their huge trees, multistoried canopy & large amounts of woody debris, they create unique conditions for life that younger forests do not: 

■They provide homes for many species, including western screech-owls & other endangered wildlife that we, as stewards, are supposed to protect; 

■They have an unparalleled ability to keep carbon out of the atmosphere - but when logged, all their stored C02 is released into the atmosphere, causing further rising cumulative emissions; 

■They provide us with essential services such as clean water & fire/ flood protection; 

■They support essential community jobs in tourism & other sustainable industries. 

In the midst of climate & biodiversity crises, we can’t afford to destroy the last of these ancient ecosystems that wildlife, communities & future generations depend on to thrive!!? B.C. can still become a leader in old-growth conservation, respecting Indigenous rights & sustainable forestry - as 85%++ of BCers want - but only if you act now.. 

Sincerely, 

[your name will go here] [your email address will go here], [your location will go here] Cc'd: Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development

Latest letter#11 to BC-NDP govt.

Dear Premier Horgan and Minister of Forests Kristine Conroy, 

When you launched CleanBC in 2018, I applauded your plans to confront the Climate Emergency. But 3 years later, I’m concerned that B.C. is failing to implement adequate climate action to protect our future!! 

Fact is, emissions in B.C. keep rising. CleanBC's initiatives are obvs noT bold enough to achieve the 2030 target of 40% below 2007 emissions. Time to ACT.. 

It's V clear we won’T meet climate targets iF we keep expanding fossil fuel developments & allowing clearcut logging of our vital Old-Growth forests! With so much of our forests burned by fire, logging should be kept to harvesting burned trees only (as they've only 2 years to do so!) 

The O&G industry produces 20% of B.C.’s emissions - yet contributes only 3% to GDP! - & LNG Canada is set to become BC's largest point source of C02 emissions, crushing all hope of meeting our 2030 & 2050 targets.. 

And exports of LNG/ coal will keep adding to the world’s cumulative emissions inventory, exacerbating global warming to unlivable levels.

 Subsidies to fossil fuel projects are nixing all chances of reaching our climate targets! 

This summer’s royalty review should address & correct the current royalty regime & the hugely generous Deep Well Royalty Credit, which do nothing to benefit the public.. 

The International Energy Agency’s 'Net Zero by 2050' report calls on the world to rapidly wind down ALL O&G extraction & add no new developments: B.C. must do its part by putting the brakes on the planned LNG export industry expansion - for starters..

 Independent research shows B.C. must strengthen & pass key policies to uphold its climate commitment. You must respond to the Climate Emergency by: 

●Committing to a managed decline of fracked gas production/ exports --> a just transition for workers & communities; 

●Ensuring the O&G royalty review is fair, independent & tasked with eliminating fossil fuel subsidies; 

●Committing to protection of all BC's intact OldGrowth forests (which you agreed are Worth More Standing) & mandate logging co's to end their disastrous practice of clearcutting/ replanting/ spraying which is causing & spreading BC wildfires; 

●Accelerating the 100% zero-emission vehicle sales mandate from 2040 to 2030; 

●Increasing the low carbon fuel standard to reduce carbon intensity by 40% by 2030; 

●Requiring all industries to respect the rights & title of Indigenous Peoples AND avoid damaging/ harming BC's wildlife & their all-sustaining habitats. Science has unanimously warned THIS is the crucial decade for Climate Action - as you'd know if you consulted with leading-edge scientists rather than biased industry lobbyists!!? 

UNFORTCH we won’T meet our urgent biodiversity/ climate targets while honing SAME-OLD export-directed forestry, LNG, O&G & ecocidal/ extractive industries & projects - as Australia & California learned too late.. 

I implore you to move from promises to ACTION in these crucial next few months - ie. Ensure B.C. does its part in responding to the Climate EMERGENCY in ways that protect people, nature & our (kids') future: NOTHING is more important now! 

Sincerely, [your name will go here]

[your email address will go here], 

[your location will go here] 

CC: Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation Premier and George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy