Climate activists form Earth Day human chain around National Assembly
Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
cassandra@qctonline.com
On April 22, Earth Day, thousands of Quebecers, including members of the Coalition régionale pour la justice climatique et sociale (CRJCS), formed a human chain around the National Assembly to send a message about climate change, the importance of implementing environmentally friendly strategies, and the need to hold governments and corporations accountable.
“The climate is warming faster than expected, with 2024 being the hottest year in recorded history. Last year, average land and ocean tempera- tures rose 1.3 degrees Celsius. The consequences are already being felt across the planet with increasingly extreme weather events, thawing permafrost and the rampant loss of ecosystems. These consequences have an impact on our food, our health, our income and our quality of life,” said Naélie Bouchard-Sylvain of the Regroupement d’éducation populaire en action communautaire des régions de Québec et Chaudière-Appalaches. “This puts us on a trajectory where the human and social costs will be catastrophic in the next two decades.
“Meanwhile, our governments are backtracking on several climate measures,” said Bouchard-Sylvain. “While the majority of the population sees their living conditions worsen, one per cent continue their luxurious lifestyles thanks to their portfolio of polluting stocks and political influence. On this Earth Day, we demand an acceleration of the fight against the climate and biodiversity crises, such as phasing out fossil fuels, and a massive reinvestment in environmentally friendly public and social services.”
Organizers presented a seven-foot-long by three-foot-wide “ticket” to the government for their perceived inaction on climate, which was hung from the ramparts and quickly pulled down by police officers.
Fighting deforestation and pesticide overuse
At the municipal level, Quebec City is encouraging “no-mow May” and pesticide- free movements on most municipal lawns. In addition, the city will distribute free trees on May 1.
In a joint effort with the federal government through a $440-million investment, Quebec aims to plant 100 million trees in public and private forests by 2030-31. The Quebec government restricts deforestation to 278,000 square kilometres of its 834,000 square kilometres of forests. It also requires the forestry industry to rotate lots by continuously replanting. However, environmentalists argue the government is not doing enough and not acting fast enough.
Quebec’s Bill 97, An Act mainly to modernize the for- est regime, was introduced on April 23. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Maïté Blanchette Vézina presented amendments to the bill that aim to create “priority forest management zones.” Environmentalists fear that the forest industry, with the government’s support, is going too far. “In priority forest management zones, the plan even goes so far as to ban protected areas, which means banning conservation. It’s as if the Ministry of Forests is trying to protect itself legally against the Ministry of the Environment,” said Alice-Anne Simard, director general of Nature Québec. “These amendments could be compromising the achievements of our conservation objectives.”