Stephen Hazell
Director of Conservation
and Legal Counsel (At 100% Possible March on Parliament Hill)

Yesterday, on the eve of the Paris climate talks, 25,000 Canadians, including myself and other Nature Canada folks, marched on Parliament Hill.  A key message?  There is no Planet B—for people, birds, or other wildlife.

Nature needs to have an important place in the international agreement that comes out of Paris. As Birdlife International’s report explains, the degradation and conversion of natural ecosystems is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions (the biggest, next to burning of fossil fuels). Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems is a proven and cost-effective approach to mitigate climate change. As well, healthy ecosystems protect communities against flooding, sea-level rise and drought. Conserving, restoring and managing ecosystems sustainably can thus be key elements in climate adaptation strategies.

Plan A in Paris needs to focus on protecting nature on Planet A—the only one we’ve got.