Distressing IPCC report shows desperate need for ambitious climate action

February 28, 2022

QUEEN'S PARK — Mike Schreiner made the following statement in response to the new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):

“Today’s report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is clear: this is the bleakest warning yet of the impacts of the climate crisis.

Extreme weather events like wildfires, flooding and droughts are becoming more frequent and severe, threatening food security, making life more expensive, and putting the most vulnerable at risk.

And for the first time ever, the IPCC highlighted the impact of climate change on mental health — in particular on youth and adolescents.

We’re running out of time.

There has never been a more crucial moment for honest and ambitious climate action. And for a plan to address the worsening mental health crisis in Ontario.

Ontario Greens will:

• Set a fair share carbon budget and cut Ontario’s climate pollution in half by 2030 and to net-zero every year from 2045
• Launch a retrofit and green building program that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, reduce climate pollution and permanently cut energy bills
• Support green businesses and innovators with a climate bank and green technology fund
• Work with Indigenous Peoples to protect 25% of Ontario by 2025 and 30% by 2030
• Create a $2 billion per-year Climate Adaptation Fund to support municipalities with green and resilient infrastructure
• Make mental health care more affordable and accessible for Ontarians

No more half measures and compromises. It’s time to crush climate pollution and build a more green, caring and prosperous Ontario.”

For more information: gpo.ca/climate

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