Pandemic subdues Global Day of Climate Action

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/03/2021 (1772 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The pandemic has taken the wind out of the sails of local environmentalists’ public display of support in recent months, but their collective cause persists.

Their lessened public presence doesn’t necessarily mean interest has petered out, activist Debby Dandy said — just that they’re following health regulations.

On Friday, local activists are hosting a subdued Global Day of Climate Action event outside of Knox United Church, where their numbers will be limited to 10 due to ongoing COVID-19 health regulations.

Although greater numbers used to correspond to the level of support, Dandy said the very fact people are still out there in the midst of a pandemic — masked and distanced, of course — should say something.

“You hope that the observers think, ‘They’ve done the most they can do there,’” she said, adding it’s something they’ll have to roll with for the time being.

For her part, Dandy is involved in a number of environmental activist causes, including her joining fellow activist Madelyn Robinson in heading Brandon KAIROS — one of 35 such faith organizations in a national campaign to “bring Canadians together in ecological conservation, environmental activism and advocacy for climate justice.”

This comes through in a few key areas of focus, including “For the Love of Creation,” which sets out to mobilize people to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and demonstrate support for increased federal climate action.

The larger “A Just Recovery For All” effort encompasses various organizations throughout the nation — theirs included — and pushes for change as society adapts to an eventual new, post-pandemic normal.

“We are going to have to recover from the pandemic, things will not be the same, and we need to do it with recognition that this is an opportunity to do things differently,” Dandy said.

“I know that people are concerned about the economy — it’s always about the economy — and so it just means careful strategizing.”

Jobs will be lost in the shift, so the real question, she said, is how are people going to be re-trained to do the work of a green recovery?

Friday’s Global Day of Climate Action is an offshoot of the global Fridays for Future climate strike effort founded by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg in 2018.

Inspired by Thunberg, local activist Renna Kelly, then a 12-year-old École New Era School student, started up the local effort in 2019.

“I just wanted to start up something because we didn’t have anything here consistent,” she said by phone Sunday, adding she’s relieved to see the effort continue in her absence.

Now a 14-year-old student at École secondaire Neelin High School, Kelly still attends the occasional Fridays for Future outside of Knox United Church.

The early parts of the pandemic, as tragic as they were, might provide some insight regarding the potential impacts of environmentalism, she said. Emissions were down, the fog of pollution that hangs over major cities subsided and animals returned to places disrupted by humans.

“In some places in the world, they started going carbon-neutral or at least working toward that point, so I definitely think it’s possible and it should happen.”

In addition to gathering on the last Friday of each month, Dandy said local activists have taken to letter-writing campaigns and taking part in online discussions.

Friday’s gathering is intended to re-establish their public presence and remind people environmentalism isn’t going anywhere.

Brandon KAIROS is also planning a Public Witness event for Earth Day on April 22. Just what, exactly, it looks like will depend on the health regulations in place at the time, Dandy said.

“This year, I’m hoping we can connect with others and do something that respects the guidelines,” she said. “Earth Day is celebrated and recognized because the Earth is us all — the Earth takes care of us and we take care of it.”

Those interested in joining the cause can email organizers at knoxchurch@wcgwave.ca.

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB