THUNDER BAY -- People all over the world on Sunday are taking to the streets to demonstrate for the need to act against climate change.
Thunder Bay was no exception.
A few hundred city residents, along with many thousands across the globe, to take part in the People’s Climate Walk movement to stand up for a worldwide climate change treaty.
The local walk coincides with similar demonstrations happening all over the world, including a march in New York City which is expected to draw thousands of people. Two city residents have travelled to be a part of that event.
Other walks are occurring in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary as well as other Canadian cities.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called world leaders to meet in New York this month to advocate for the creation of a treaty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
“Today we realize the need to get off fossil fuels is critical. What the international panel on climate change says is that we have 15 years to change our trajectory for more and more fossil fuels to less and less fossil fuels,” event organizer Scott Harris said.
“That’s not a lot of time.”
The walk, which organizers said was the largest of its kind in Northwestern Ontario for people concerned about climate change, started at Hillcrest Park before proceeding down Red River Road and ending in Waverley Park.
Celina Reitberger attended the gathering at the urging of her daughter, who identifies as an environmentalist.
She said the technology is available to create cleaner energy, it’s just a matter of committing to it.
“I think if we put as much effort as we do extracting oil from the tar sands we could come up with solar and wind energy as well as many alternatives,” Reitberger said
“We could replace gas guzzling cars with electric cars. There are many things we can and should do. We just need the will to do it.
Curniss McGolldrick, the city’s Earth Care climate adaptation and communications coordinator, said the demonstration is a valuable opportunity to her the opinions of local residents on climate change.
“This is an important issue not only for the world and the country but also for Thunder Bay. It affects Thunder Bay citizens closer to home than we think,” McGolldrick said.
“People want to see this become a priority for the city and they want to see action come from the municipal government and they want it to be supported at a broader level.”
Harris said the region has made strong stands in environmental efforts in the past, citing the resistance against nuclear waste depositories, seeing two generating stations switch from burning coal to a cleaner biomass and the saving of the Experimental Lakes Area.
That kind of impact might be overlooked by the pulic.
“We’ve had quite a record of changing the course of history,” Harris said.
Reitberger acknowledged the chances of the walk here changing the world may seem minimal but stressed if the message is spread it can make a substantial impact.
“We need to raise everyone’s consciousness,” she said. “If they come out and this is the first time they’re hearing about it and now they’re thinking about this, then it’s a success.”
