Jasper Fire
On July 22 a monstrous fire ripped through Jasper. This was a terrible tragedy for residents, visitors and the environment in and around Jasper. I’ve got a huge amount of sympathy and empathy for those affected. A firefighter was killed battling the fire and that’s also terrible.
A hashtag called #JasperStrong went around on social media and I’m more just #JasperSad than anything, because of the damage that has been inflicted on Canadians and Albertans, by those who contribute to climate change.
For context, Alberta has the largest emissions of green house gases in Canada.
It’s oil and gas industry is huge and is exporting oil and gas around the world. The Trans Mountain pipeline that Canadians tax payers paid $34 billion for terminates very close to my house and will be pumping out fossil fuels for many decades to come.
Over the years we have seen climate change affect so many parts of the world. But when it hits farmers in Central America, or causes floods in Asia or whatever a long way away, it can feel like it’s not really a problem. Something I don’t need to worry about. Something I can ignore.
But then when climate change hits the people close to you, so viscerally and so raw like this, you’d think it would change opinions. You’d think people would wake up and realise that we can’t avoid this, we need to stop it now.
You’d think so.
Like after the Fort McMurray fire which at an estimated cost of $9.9 billion was the costliest disaster in Canadian history.
Like after the Lytton fire which completely destroyed the town of Lytton (somewhere I’ve visited, it’s heartbreaking).
Like after the heat dome that killed 595 people in British Columbia.
These aren’t heat events in far off places in the world, they are extreme events right in our own country and made much, much, worse by climate change. The thing that Alberta and Canada is contributing too.
Alberta’s Danielle Smith, the elected leader of Jasper won’t talk about it, or diminishes it. The leader of the federal opposition talks about axing the Carbon tax, but not what they’ll do about actually get Canada to reduce its emissions.
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I find it incredibly sad, that when we are faced with the evidence of the harm and damage to our own country we still can’t do anything about it. Alberta has continued down this path and elected politicians who continues to ignore it.
That’s why the Jasper fire made me #JasperSad.