Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday April 16, 2015

Since 1970, the 22nd of April has been known as a time to stop and think about our effect on the planet and all the damage we have wrought on it. It’s Earth Day, and Open Sources Guelph is choosing to celebrate (so to speak) by dedicating a whole show to issues of the environment. In the news this week we’re running out of water to drink, and air to breathe, but there are politicians actually working to try and undo some of the damage. The question is though, are we too late?

This Thursday, April 16, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz  and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

1) The Premiers with the Plan. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard announced this week that their provinces were teaming up with California for a cap-and-trade deal, and encouraged the Federal government to become more active on the issue of climate change. Will their plea fall on deaf ears, and will cap-and-trade be a successful step on the road to sustainability?

2) Trouble Breathing? Paris. New Dehli. Beijing. What do they have in common? They’re home to some of the worst air on the planet. In Europe, desertification to the south and industrialization in the north are causing air quality to plummet, while more cars with lousy emission standards on the roads in China’s capital are choking its people. With smog killing more people yearly than malaria and HIV combined, has air pollution become the lost battle of climate change?

3) Last Call for H2O? Last month’s news that California had one year of water left in reserve was a shock even to people that watch these things carefully, but it seems to have not even made a proverbial ripple in the reaction of the average American. California Governor Jerry Brown reacted with tight new restrictions, but those restrictions don’t apply to the Golden State’s biggest industry: agriculture. More importantly, with fresh water becoming a dwindling resource globally, how long can even those of us in water rich areas sit on the sidelines and do nothing?

4) A Startling Glimpse at Things to Come. There are signs that climate change is starting to be recognized as a pressing issue of human concern, and that people are galvanizing to do something about it. On the other hand, the state government of Wisconsin has banned the term “climate change,” and despite a huge dip in oil prices,our own Federal government says now’s not the time to rock the boat. So are we doomed to perish on a desolate Earth ravished by a climate altered at human hands, or is there still reason for hope?

For our special Earth Day show, Adam and Scotty will be joined by a panel of local activists and concerned environmentalists:

Atiya Jaffar – A Masters student in the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences at the University of Guelph. Atiya took part in a march with 400,000 others in New York City last fall during the United Nations General Assembly to push for action on climate change. You can read her op-ed in The Ontarion about divesting from companies that exploit resource development.

Candice Lepage – An expert in digital media development and supreme social media strategist, Candice has been involved locally in several Green Party campaigns including, most recently, the 2014 provincial election campaign of Green Party leader Mike Schreiner.

Mike Nagy – Current chair of the Wellington Water Watchers and former president of African Wildlife Conservation Fund, Mike is one of the preeminent voices for sustainability and conservation in Guelph, and has been active in the environmental movement for 30 years.

Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.