Mi'kma'ki / Nova Scotia - On Friday, Sept. 23 2022, Climate Strike Halifax and their allies planned to take to the streets to demand the release of the provincial climate plan and to refocus international awareness on the climate crisis. Unfortunately, Nova Scotia has been hit with Hurricane Fiona, and due to dangerous conditions the strike is cancelled. Now, more than ever we are seeing the need for increased climate action including adaptation plans. Hurricane Fiona has left all of Puerto Rico without power, and has left hundreds without shelter. Climate change is increasing the severity and intensity of hurricanes such as Fiona due to warming waters.
Last fall, along with many other Nova Scotians, youth climate organizers greeted the provincial government’s Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act (EGCCRA) with hope and optimism. EGCCRA also states that “the Government shall create a strategic plan, prior to December 31, 2022, to be known as the "Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth”. While the deadline has not yet been reached, youth climate organizers and others had hoped that the plan would be released sooner, considering the urgency of the climate crisis. Every day that the climate plan is delayed is a day where more greenhouse gas emissions increase the risk of disastrous climate events that will affect all residents of Mi’kma’ki/Nova Scotia, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Rae Steeves, a grade twelve student at Citadel High school and an organizer of the cancelled strike has expressed this statement “I am scared. Horrified. Young people are dismissed, ignored and pushed to the side. The youth are watching, listening, and we are angry. I hope people understand the irony of this situation. These hurricanes are why the youth are scared, and why we have no choice but to speak out.”
-30-