Press Conference: Joseph Boutilier’s Unity for the Climate Cross-Country Tour

In April 2014, Joseph Boutilier embarked on a 5,000-kilometer, 5-month unicycle ride across Canada to promote unity for the climate. The trip culminated in Ottawa after rallies, events and meetings in dozens of other communities along the route.

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Joseph is calling on the Canadian government to take rapid, strategic and collaborative action to tackle the climate change crisis, breaches to first nations treaties and inherent land rights and the muzzling of publicly-funded scientists. With the 2015 federal election just around the corner, time is running out for MPs and political parties to make clear commitments to our environment and sustainability.

The need for drastic action to address climate change is beyond urgent. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report concludes that humans are responsible for 100 percent of global warming over the past 60 years, with 95% certainty. Out of 13,950 peer-reviewed climate papers published between 1991 and 2012, only 24 refute the existence of global warming. The crisis is clear. Without substantial efforts to curb carbon emissions, the average surface temperature is likely to rise by more than 4º C within the century, triggering far more colossal, fatal and frequent hurricanes, heat waves, ice storms, floods, famines and typhoons than those that have already rocked the world with unprecedented violence in the past two decades. Other predictions are even more dire. We still have a chance to quell the most devastating effects, but time is rapidly disappearing.

Elizabeth May joined fellow MPs John McKay and Megan Leslie in welcoming Joseph to Ottawa on September 15.

More information: http://unityfortheclimate.ca