Dear Mr. Prime Minister and all those it may concern,
I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’ve been writing you a letter a week since last December. It’s only natural to assume someone so involved in politics as me would be watching the election of the most powerful country in the world and my countries biggest trading partner. And of course I have some opinions.
As a climate activist I’m always looking at how things will affect the environment and our future on this planet. The American election is definitely a big one. Donald Trump, as I’m sure you know, is not a friend to the environment and has in fact denied climate change’s impacts on the world. Just recently he pulled out of the Paris Acord an act Joe Biden has promised to un-do once he is sworn in.
Joe Biden’s win is causing everyone who does environmental work to give a massive sigh of relief. And it should be a relief to other world leaders who care about the planet and the future too. The most powerful country in the world will now be run by someone who believes in climate change and is willing to do something about it. As soon as Biden is put in place (assuming there is no civil war in the US) you and other powerful world leaders must begin to work with him to un-do the damage four years of a climate denier has had on the environment.
Unfortunately it isn’t all good. The Republicans are in a good shape to take control of the Senate, and while not everyone in the party is a Donald Trump, as a whole they have not shown willingness to take necessary action. They will most likely block good environmental policies.
So what to do? Honestly I think we need to move on without the US. Do trade with more climate friendly country, distance our economy from theirs, encourage the rest of the world to do the same. America may be the most powerful country in the world, but if all the countries that care about the future make it clear that we won’t stand for it by putting our money where our mouth is, we will either force their hand or make their economy less important on a global scale.
Climate action cannot wait for the US. If they won’t see where the world is heading, then we leaving them behind. That is the message I want to leave you with in this letter. I’m also going to ask you to condemn Donald Trump’s actions while in office and how he has acted during election week. His racism, misogyny, homophobia and climate denying are atrocious and his refusal to respect his own countries democracy is something for which Canada as leader on the world stage should stand against.
I hope you have a wonderful day!
Amelia Penney-Crocker