Letter and map sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper

The map shows per capita emissions for most countries in North, South and Central America and The Caribbean. You can click on the photo to make it large enough to read. The part of the page you can’t see in the photo has a letter to Prime Minister Harper on it.

The letter reads:

“To Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

Increasing CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere caused by human activities threaten Earth's ecosystems.

We must act now to prevent catastrophic changes that will affect all life on Earth.

Canada bears a disproportionately high responsibility for the situation because of our high per capita greenhouse gas emissions.

We want our government to:

Stop getting in the way of a fair, ambitious and binding global agreement on climate change and start working co-operatively with other countries.

Set targets to cut Canada's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% from 1990 levels by 2020 with a global goal of reducing atmospheric CO2 levels down to 350 parts per million or lower.

Plan the transition so that there is:
- less life damaging waste and wastefulness, and
- more economic equality, local control and food and water security.

Contribute our fair share to assist the people around the world who are most affected by climate change.

We do not want Canada to turn to nuclear power or biofuels that are derived from crops that require high fossil fuel inputs or are grown or harvested in a way that exploits people or is environmentally destructive.”

…an email added the following:

“We [the Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network] are a network of groups and individuals in the Maritimes working in solidarity with people in Latin America and the Caribbean. We consider climate change to be a solidarity issue because generally the people with the least responsibility for adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere will bear the worst effects ~ from melting sea ice, rising sea levels, drought, hurricanes, floods, and acidification of the ocean. Already increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are contributing to food and water scarcity in some areas. The International Panel on Climate Change estimates there will be 150 million climate refugees by 2050 if we do not act to reduce emissions dramatically. We want Canada to stop getting in the way of a fair, ambitious and binding agreement in Copenhagen and start working constructively with other countries so that something substantial comes out of the conference.

Sincerely,

Catherine Hughes on behalf of the Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network”