We need only look at the wildfire destruction in Jasper to know, with certainty, that climate change is wreaking havoc on communities and ecosystems here in our home province of Alberta, just as it is across Canada and worldwide. Monster fires not only destroy homes and livelihoods; they also bring devastating health impacts that may persist for decades.
As physicians and medical learners, we are trained to diagnose the condition and prescribe a remedy. The diagnosis in this case goes beyond the obvious “climate change.” At the heart of this crisis lies the burning of fossil fuels.
Oil and natural gas have enriched our province and rendered the issue of fossil fuels politically sensitive. This is increasingly at odds with effective public health policy. To safeguard public health, we must embrace measures that protect clean air, water and soil, and support decisive action to mitigate the key drivers of an overheating planet, namely fossil fuels.
The pervasive disinformation propagated by the fossil fuel industry urgently needs to be addressed. The newly passed Bill C-59 includes modest amendments to the Competition Act, requiring all environmental claims to be backed up with evidence. These are welcome and necessary regulations to help protect consumers and genuinely green business, but they don’t go far enough.
Much like the stringent regulations imposed on tobacco advertising in 1989, NDP Member of Parliament Charlie Angus introduced a private member’s bill this year, Bill C-372, that would put an end to fossil fuel advertising. Like our current laws on tobacco, the proposed legislation restricts paid advertising that promotes fossil fuels but leaves individual free speech alone. This is in response to a scientific consensus on an urgent and serious health crisis.
Canada has the highest rate of pediatric asthma of all high-income nations, which is linked to nitrogen dioxide exposure – a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion
This legislation, separate from that of Bill C-59, seeks to align public discourse with scientific reality, putting an end to advertising that stokes demands for these harmful products and seeks to undermine effective climate action. Echoing this sentiment, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a global ban on fossil fuel advertising, condemning these companies as the “godfathers of climate chaos.” He stated, “Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action – with lobbying, legal threats and massive ad campaigns.”
The true cost of our reliance on fossil fuels is evident in alarming health statistics, such as Canada having the highest rate of pediatric asthma of all high-income nations, which is linked to nitrogen dioxide exposure – a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion. A 2020 study on the health impacts of the recent forest fires from wildfire smoke in Canada estimated annual premature mortalities at 54-240 premature deaths from acute exposure and 570-2,500 premature deaths attributable to chronic exposure to wildfire PM2.5 pollution.
Depending on your point of view, regulating fossil fuel advertising may seem like a modest policy step or outrageous government overreach. When viewed through a health lens, however, the prescription is clear: We must accelerate the phaseout of fossil fuels to protect the health and wellbeing of people across Canada and safeguard our health-care systems.
Still, with fossil fuels intricately connected to prosperity in Alberta and different regions of Canada, it’s vital to also address the economic forecasts for a greener economy. A study from the University of Berkeley looking at job creation in California concluded that “the renewable energy and low carbon sectors generate more jobs per unit of energy delivered than the fossil fuel-based sector.” This optimistic outlook provides a starting point for discussions on how Canada can lead in renewable and low carbon energy, driving economic growth and sustainability.
To secure a sustainable future for generations to come, we must chart a course away from fossil fuels. Although this transition will not occur overnight, restricting fossil fuel advertising represents a tangible step toward reshaping societal norms and fostering informed decision-making. Research from Yale University that uncovered significant discrepancies between reported and actual emissions from the Canadian Oil Sands underscores the urgent need for greater transparency and accountability within the industry.
The passage of Bill C-372 is not merely a matter of legislative reform; it is a moral imperative in the face of escalating unnatural disasters, marked by monster wildfires, droughts, flash flooding, landslides and more. By dismantling fossil fuel greenwashing and disinformation, we can pave the way for a more honest conversation about the root causes of our predicament and work together to find the solutions that support the health and wellbeing of all people in Canada and beyond.
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