TORONTO — Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to the new IPCC report:
“Today’s IPCC report highlights the full scale and severity of the climate emergency.
It’s a code red for humanity, according to the UN Secretary-General.
Unfortunately, the report is not at all surprising.
The climate emergency is being felt in full force across the province right now. Heat records are being broken with deadly consequences, devastating wildfires are tearing through the North, and air quality is at all-time lows.
It has never been more clear that we need urgent climate action.
And we have the solutions.
Half measures from the other opposition parties and the Premier’s anti-climate agenda will not address the crisis we are in. Empty promises will not save us.
We need to act urgently to stop sprawl, which is a leading driver of climate pollution in Ontario and is paving over the wetlands and green spaces that protect us.
We need to stop subsidizing fossil fuels and say no to pipelines like Line 5.
We need to rapidly electrify transportation, make our buildings more energy efficient, become a global leader in clean tech and invest in the caring professions.
And we can do this in a way that creates good jobs, enhances health and improves life.
The time for talk, discussions, empty promises, half measures and compromises is long past us.
It’s time for urgent action.
The IPCC is clear — we are out of time.
We are the only party with the commitment and solutions to properly address the climate emergency.”