I began this new career path in climate action because I am deeply motivated to contribute to mitigating climate change and to transitioning the dominant society I’m a part of to systems and ways of being that are more just and life-sustaining for all of us across the globe, both human and non-human. Global warming is already having devastating impacts on ecosystems and communities worldwide, but these impacts will reach catastrophic proportions if drastic and immediate actions aren’t taken to drive down emissions. My primary motivations in this work are the lives and well-being of all living beings on earth, in particular those who have contributed the least to global warming. As such, our non-human relatives are my biggest source of motivation; I feel compelled to do what I can to protect as many of them as possible though both climate change mitigation and protection of biodiversity. As well, I am very motivated by justice concerns for people living in the Global South, because they have done the least to contribute to this problem and will suffer the most. In contrast, as a privileged, middle-class settler in so-called Canada, I belong to a society that is among the most wasteful, polluting and responsible. In addition to our environmental impact, Canada’s colonial, neoliberal and capitalist systems cause harm both here and internationally: we are extracting resources across the world to the detriment of local communities worldwide, in order to fuel our lifestyles. These systems are deeply unjust, in particular for BIPOC communities who are disproportionately represented in impacted areas both in Canada and abroad.
I’ve chosen to focus my career on climate action here in Canada, because I think it is one of the most impactful places where I can effect change. By working on emissions reductions and the adoption of more equitable, less wasteful systems here in Canada, I will be contributing to justice and equity in the following ways. Reducing Canada’s emissions will lessen the dangers and damages for communities and biodiversity globally, by mitigating climate change and its related impacts worldwide. I can also work here in Canada to address the unjust global extraction systems mentioned earlier, that benefit Canadians to the detriment of people and nature internationally. As well, I can contribute to making Canada a more equitable place for people living here now as well as for climate refugees to move to. I can also use my privilege to support others in their work and to amplify others’ voices. As part of this work, I would like to continue decolonizing my perspective, deepening my understanding of my own privilege and continuing to dismantle my own harmful behaviours.
I am concerned about climate adaptation as well, but this is trumped by my desire to focus on mitigation. That being said, I would like to contribute to climate change adaptation in a secondary way, by contributing wherever possible to solutions that provide co-benefits in mitigation, adaptation, biodiversity protection and other benefits to communities.