Quebec Minister Of The Environment Given Ultimatum On Climate Change

MADRID , Dec. 14 2019 / CNW Telbec / – As COP25 ended yesterday, the person responsible for Québec solidaire in matters of the environment and the fight against climate change, Ruba Ghazal , urges the Minister of the Environment, Benoît Charette , to set up four concrete measures to decarbonize the Québec economy by 2050.

“In the fight against climate change, the Paris Agreement is an essential milestone, but it is at the local level that the ecological transition is playing out. If the UN is a flagship of the ecological transition, Quebec is a small frigate that can go much faster. At a time when Minister Charette is redefining our environmental governance, now is the time to take action to put Quebec back on a trajectory compatible with maximum warming of 1.5 degrees ” , notes Ruba Ghazal .

The Member for Mercier asks Minister Charette to include in her 2030 plan for electrification and fight against climate change (PECC) 2030 four ambitious measures that will make it possible to completely decarbonize our economy by 2050:

1. An immediate increase in Québec’s 2030 and 2050 targets and the adoption of a carbon budget.
2. A duty of consistency in all government decisions, in particular concerning our road network and our economic development.
3. A definitive rejection of any infrastructure or gas or petroleum development project in Quebec.
4. A mechanism for continuous social dialogue with all stakeholders, including workers, indigenous people and young people.

Civil society must take the reins of climate action

Saluting the courage of young people and indigenous people who made their voices heard during a COP25 , Ruba Ghazal now calls on Quebec civil society to take control of climate action.

“The COP25 negotiations should have laid the foundations for ambitious global climate action, but they failed because of the lack of courage of our political decision-makers. More than ever, there is a growing gap between the expectations of civil society and the attitude of heads of state. Governments are not up to the climate emergency, but the community is fully up to it. In this regard, Quebec is no exception to the rule: it is thanks to popular mobilization that we will be able to put pressure on the CAQ government to achieve the ecological transition, ”said Ms. Ghazal. .

“History may remember COP25 as one of disillusionment, but in my eyes, it is the one that made all of civil society aware that it can no longer wait for the leaders wake up. It must take the reins of climate action. This week, I saw students, workers and locals come up with inspiring projects, and deliver intelligent, science-informed speeches. I have witnessed their sensitivity and the hope they carry in their struggle. I am convinced that the change will come from young people and community action, ”she adds.