ADVISORY: 8 a.m. ET Wednesday: Stand.earth election report to assess climate plans for Canada’s major political parties

UNCEDED COAST SALISH TERRITORY (VANCOUVER, BC) — On Wednesday, October 9, Stand.earth will release its report “A climate election guide for a world on fire” assessing the climate plans for Canada’s major political parties. The report will deliver a tough message to candidates that none of the parties’ platforms do enough to stop the expansion of the oil and gas industry, and that without adequate supply-side policies to stop new expansion projects, Canada will not be able to meet the level of ambition needed to avert the worst impacts of climate change.

WHO: International environmental organization Stand.earth 

WHAT: Stand.earth will release its report assessing the climate plans for Canada’s major political parties — the Conservative Party, the Green Party, the New Democratic Party, and the Liberal Party — and how they all fail to meet the level of ambition called for by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change landmark report Global Warming of 1.5ºC, which lays out the steps we must take to avert the worst impacts of climate change by keeping the world to 1.5°C of warming. The report also outlines what candidates can do to become true climate leaders.

WHEN: 5 a.m. PT / 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, October 9

WHERE: The report will be available online at stand.earth/latest/climate-election-guide

WHY: In October 2018, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) described the impacts of a 1.5°C rise in global temperatures and warned how important it is for the global community to limit global warming. The authors reminded us that a societal transformation of this scale “is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics,” but will require “unprecedented changes” before 2030. 

So far, Canada has yet to heed the warnings or step up to the challenge. But for the first time in the upcoming election, climate change is on the ballot, with polls revealing that Canadians are increasingly concerned about the impacts of a warming planet, and are impatient with their political representatives. 

However, many political leaders are part of a “new form of climate denialism,” where they say they understand and accept the scientific warnings about climate change, but they are in denial about what this scientific reality means for public policy, and the measures necessary to reverse the effects of climate change before it’s too late. Political leaders must do the hard work of turning Canada’s fossil fuel-powered society to one energized by renewables; by putting put the brakes on the oil, gas and coal industries; and prioritizing building infrastructure that will keep Canadians prosperous and safe. 

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS: The following Stand.earth staff members will be available for interviews about the report:

• In Vancouver: Sven Biggs, Climate & Energy Campaigner, Stand.earth
• In Toronto (Tuesday, October 8; and Thursday-Friday, October 10-11) and Montreal (Wednesday, October 9): Tzeporah Berman, International Program Director, Stand.earth

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Media contact: Sven Biggs, Climate & Energy Campaigner, sven@stand.earth, 778-882-8354