Day of action urges leaders to stop climate change

Climate Action Day co-ordinator Joanna Dafoe said every government is responsible to reduce greenhouse gases, especially developed countries such as Canada.

CTV British Columbia: David Kincaid reports

Thousands gathered in Vancouver Saturday for a climate change rally.

CTV Edmonton: Edmontonians play dead

Protesters from Edmonton joined people from 181 countries around the world to encourage their government leaders to help stop climate change during the global day of action.

CTV Winnipeg: Winnipeggers rally for climate change

Winnipeg was one of 3000 cities that took part in the International Day of Climate Change.

CTV Ottawa: Joanne Schnurr on the Hill

Thousand of people gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for 'Fill the Hill', a rally against Canada's climate control policy.

CTV Atlantic: Dina Bartolacci on the rallies

Rallies across the Maritimes spoke out against Prime Minister Stephen Harper and called on action to climate change.

CTV News Channel: John Bell, Canada Action 350

An organizer for the Toronto Chapter of Canada Action 350 says climate change is an issue Canadians have been way ahead of as opposed to the federal government which has taken a backseat to the growing issue.

CTV News Channel: Sharon Howarth, activist

An environmental activist says in order for Canada to do the right thing for the environment and climate change, the country would have to stop using fossil fuels, which in turn would benefit the lagging economy.

Watch: See all Videos in the Player

Font-size: Share Print Comments(37)

- Facebook
- Twitter
- DIGG
- StumbleUpon
- Newsvine
- Reddit
- delicious
- Yahoo! Buzz

Photos

View Larger Image

Selected Comment

You cannot solve a problem if it is not acknowledged. Bringing world wide attention to climate change will help make people aware of how significant this problem is.

JB in Ontario

Day of action urges leaders to stop climate change

talking about
Day of action urges leaders to stop climate change

Got something to say?

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Sat. Oct. 24 2009 11:04 PM ET

Thousands of people in dozens of cities across Canada took part in a global day of action Saturday, to encourage world leaders to help stop climate change.

More than 150 events were scheduled across Canada, in cities as big as Toronto and Montreal, to as small as Flin Flon, Man. and Wolfville, N.S.

The events were organized by www.350.org, a group dedicated to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in air to 350 parts per million. NASA scientist James Hansen identified the number as the safest limit for carbon dioxide levels in the air. The world is currently over that number, at 383 parts per million.

One of the organizers of the rallies, Joanna Dafoe, called the day "an incredible success."

"Most importantly for our country, Canada was the second-largest participant," she told CTV News Channel on Saturday evening.

Canada has the largest number of events worldwide, behind the United States.

One of the largest Canadian events was expected to take place in front of the provincial legislature in Toronto.

"We're expecting Queen's Park to be filled to the brim," Sharon Howarth, an environmental activist, said in an interview Saturday morning with CTV News Channel.

"Canadians are really on board, they understand the urgency," she said.

People in 181 countries were expected to participate in 5,200 events, urging world leaders to help stop climate change ahead of a December meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark where they will discuss the issue.

"This international day is to send a message to the international leaders to get a strong target at Copenhagen," said Howarth.

People across Canada will try to make themselves heard in different ways.

In Montreal, a crowd of 350 bicyclists were expected to peddle through the city together. In Victoria, a church rang its bells 350 times over the course of an hour to mark the number.

At the West Edmonton Mall, a group danced to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in costume. At another Toronto event, a group of people dressed in black, chanting "tick, tick, tick" assembled at a public square to symbolize a ticking time bomb.

The gatherings kicked off in Australia where thousands of people formed a large "350" with their bodies in front of the famous Sydney opera house and held placards with the number on Bondi Beach.

Other worldwide events included setting alarm clocks to ring at the same time in Paris in order to "wake up" President Nicholas Sarkozy on climate change. People in Kabul took part by writing "350" in chalk on a mountain.

Comments are now closed for this story

Portes
said
0 0

4 Aug 09 - Jets of searingly hot water spewing up from the sea floor have been discovered in a far-northern zone of the Arctic Ocean, Swiss-based scientists announced Monday. The "black smokers" were found at a depth of 2,400 meters (7,874 feet), with water temperatures of up to 400C (752F).A team from Norway's University of Bergen and the Lausanne-based Swiss Federal Institute of Technology found the vents on an expedition in June, with the results published on the Swiss polytechnic's website.That is what is happening to the Artic. I am sick of people saying the sky is falling, heard it from the time I was 6 years old and that is a long time ago, I guess these people need something to do this weekend

Save the Planet
said
0 0

I am going to participate in this global awareness day, by not breathing for 24 hours. I suggest anyone else who claims to care about climate change do the same thing. Save your breath, save the Earth !

david sawkiw[saskatchewan farmer]
said
0 0

Where do these people get the cash to organize events like this??Seriously,, I want to organize counter-demonstrations. I believe that global warming is a GOOD thing. I could grow two crops a year, double my income, feed twice as many people.I could QUIT burning fossil fuels to keep warm in the winter.More people would move here, [nice and warm],, saving huge amounts by not trucking my food products to far-away markets.On and on.I'm sure I'm not the only one willing to counter the global warming cult,, but we must LEARN how to access the cash............

PBW
said
0 0

I compliment all these people on their ardour in striving to reduce the CO2 levels. Personally, I prefer to reduce my emissions without any hoopla by using certain days to avoid travel - usually weekends. In the article, Ms Hawarth is quoted as saying "Canadians are really on board. They understand the urgency". I suspect that she may be correct. But to what extent - the same extent as Mr Layton saying that Canadians approve of NDP policies, implying that ALL Canadians approve when in fact that party has problems reaching even 20% of the electorate? I'm afraid that, in general, such demonstrations leave me cold, for the simple reason that getting so many people in one place implies a large expenditure of fuels that produce CO2, adding to, rather than reducing, the planet's CO2 load.

Goldens
said
0 0

What fairy tale are these people living in. We cannot change tomorrows weather let alone affect climate change. The only way to affect climate change is to put back the ice or turn down the suns energy and we do not have have a big enough ice maker or the technology to do such a thing. John Wilson Bridgetown NS

JB in Ontario
said
0 0

You cannot solve a problem if it is not acknowledged. Bringing world wide attention to climate change will help make people aware of how significant this problem is.

Wade Ens
said
0 0

Michael Jackson must be so proud of the values of this group.

Adele Hay - Oil is Carbon Nutrual
said
0 0

Oil is from plants that rotten in the ground the plants like biofuel took the C02 out of the air now it is being retuned. So oil and bio fuels are carbon nutrual. These kids will be protesting in 10 yrs they cannot get any gas for their autos.

Jim in BC
said
0 0

Enough of this foolishness. You can’t stop “climate change”. We should be developing technologies to adapt to it.

Tyrone in Toronto
said
0 0

They are trying to wake up Nicolas Sarkozy in France who get 80% of thier power from nuclear plants.Let me guess he is conservative and the socialist's plot real aim is to elect liberals.What a joke.

Rick in NB, Ste Marie
said
0 0

If Canada has the largest number of events worldwide, behind the United States and the people rule the land. Why aren't our governments spearheading the cause?

Astronaunt
said
0 0

According to Nasa 1936 is still the hottest year on record, if they want to quote Nasa.

Yolanda Rap Lover
said
0 0

They can dance to Micheal Jackson tune in Edmonton but the Global Warming cause like Michael Jackson is dead.

annie
said
0 0

I wonder howmuch pollution these protesters create by holding these events? Being in Toronto traffic for extended periods of time is never good for the cause you are trying to, support.Anyway, thanks CTV, I had almost forgotten about global warming from yesterday.

Michelle Belanger from Ottremount, PQ
said
0 0

I was all for the Carbon Tax when I thought Albeta would send Quebec a bunch of money for Green Credits. But i never really believed in the hypotosis the scientists looking for governemtn research dollars were trying to convince me of.

Sailor
said
0 0

When I was a child many years ago there was a saying. "Everyone talks about the weather but no one does anything about it."The problem is that today we have people who are actually looney enough to think they can do something about it. Trying to stop "climate change" which is normal and ongoing is like trying to stop tomorrow's sunrise.

JR Expat
said
0 0

People need to wake up to the reality of what is really going on here. There are special intrest groups making $$Millions off of this climate change fear campaign.......educate yourself and read some clearly documented facts on Al Gore and his adgenda of making millions off this nonsense!!

Jim Cripwell
said
0 0

Where can I join the protest to protest the protest.

Shivering Nancy in Calgary
said
0 0

I was going to protest in Calgary but it is too cold outside. The snow is really coming down so I am going to stay home and crank up the heat.

The Other Lowell in BC
said
0 0

michael jackson's song earth song is my favorite song of his. The song focuses on destruction of earth's creatures and the environment through bad industrial policies, exploitation of animals etc. That said, it is probably too late to turn back the clock. The bad deed has already been done. The saskatchewan farmer's offspring (grandkids and later) may yet get to see a warmer climate and a chance to make more money off the land.

PV
said
0 0

Perhaps their time would be better spent reading numerous studies which clearly indicate that this is a normal cycle of the earth (ice core studies etc) instead of cherry picking the (typically unfounded and over-hyped) research they want to believe.

Let's get real
said
0 0

Is there anybody who can face the music nowadays? Climate change is happening everywhere,, not only on our planet!!!! We should get ready for the worse and not try to prevent the inevitable!!!! Some people should start looking at 2012 as a major clue to climate change. If the moon as an effect on the earth,, anyone ever thought that the galaxy may have some effects on the earth as well!!!!

Garry in NS
said
0 0

Global warming is going to occur even without our CO2 emissions - it is a natural cycle of the planet. Demonstrating against it is like demonstrating against the sun shining. We may be able to slow it down, but we can't stop it. We need to learn how to live with it and adapt. The constant wailing and knashing of teeth doesn't help. These groups asking that the planet should cool should realize that their solution may be worse than the problem they set out to solve!

Matt from Edmonton
said
0 0

I think it's so good that there are big events like this happening. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the majority of the population does not understand the mechanism by which we are destroying the planet. They say things like "1936 was the hottest year on record". Well no offence to the person who said that, but 1936 was after the Industrial Revolution, when we started to burn fossil fuels on a massive scale. Just because the "hottest year on record" was several decades ago does not mean that we don't have a major problem now. Oh, and oil is not carbon neutral, how do people even figure that? The oil we're drilling out of the ground took millions upon millions of years to form, it's not like in 100 years the oil reserves will be be all replenished! And just because oil is formed from ancient decayed plants and animals, does not mean it's good. Many illicit and dangerous drugs come from plants (i.e. they are "natural") but that doesn't make them okay.On a different note, the earth is God's creation and we are destroying it.

Goldens
said
0 0

Matt, Pre industrial revolution was a lot hotter they even had dinosaurs. The age we are living in is not normal. We are living in the tail end of an ice age. John Wilson Bridgetown NS

Concerned
said
0 0

its amazing how people take respectable scientific results and twist them to their means. I actually had someone tell me that global warming doesnt exist because glaciers are growing at the poles (which is true), but what they fail to realize is that as air warms it holds more water and thus you end up with more precipitation (i.e. snow). So before when the average temp was - 30 degrees there was much less annual snowfall. Because it has gotten warmer (still below freezing though) there is more snow accumulation. In equatorial regions glaciers are receding because annual snowmelt is greater than accumulation. And yes the earth does have cycles of warming and cooling (that mostly coincide with the Milankovich cycles and plate tectonics) however the warming that we are currently experiencing exceeds the normal "background" warming.

Leo
said
0 0

Stop climate change, how? Has climate change not occurred naturally in past eons to the earth’s fauna and landscape? If it has not, then how do we explain the extinction of the dinosaurs, the evidences of a vast area of the North American continent covered by a sea of water …? The natural habitat in which the dinosaurs flourished changed, they apparently could not adapt to this change which ultimately lead to their extinction. Did this not all happen before the arrival of humans on planet earth? The question is how can climate change be controlled and stopped if it is a natural occurring phenomenon on planet earth. The notion that humans can control and stop climate change reminds one of the belief (not that long ago in earth’s history) that the earth is flat. The explorers against this popular belief set sail, not to their end, but across the ocean and discovered a new world the North and South American continents.The emphasis in not only what the world governments and leaders should do, but what we as individuals do to stop the littering and pollution of our personal space and environment. Do we toss gum wrappers on the sidewalk, use and re-use, walk whenever possible instead using public transit or car, don a sweater instead of raising the thermostat during the winter, plant trees around our home keeping it cool in the summer, as a windbreaker in winter and the cleaning of pollutants out the air such as carbons and trees produce oxygen.

ARJAY
said
0 0

@David SawaskiSorry David, but your post reflects a number of myths about how climate change will affect our environment.The term "global warming" has been dropped by scientists in favour of "climate change" because too many scientific illiterates thought that "global warming" meant an overall increase in temperature everywhere of 1 or 2 degrees. In fact, climate change means that because increased levels of CO2 and methane will retain more energy from the sun, we will experience dramatic changes in weather. Rather than allowing you to grow two crops a year, climate change is more likely to mean extreme drought (such as California is currently experiencing) or periods of flooding. It can even mean more snow in some places, and a drop in temperatures. That's why people who say that since last winter was very severe, global warming is a hoax just don't get it. Climate change means just that- unpredictable alterations to our climate over long periods of time. That's why those who say that they're "tired of hearing these predictions" are so clueless. This has been brewing for 200 years, and scientists (not just Al Gore and David Susuki) have been trying to warn us for years now about the changes that we're now beginning to see. As a farmer, you ought to be taking this very seriously, because you are likely to be among the first groups affected by these changes. And it won't mean two crops a year. It's likely to mean the end of your ability to grow any crops worth growing.

Dave in Courtenay
said
0 0

It is frustrating to read so many opinions that focus on singular reasons for climate change. Yes, human activities are having an effect. Yes, carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are one of these effects. Unfortunately those who focus on minimizing carbon dioxide emissions alone create the danger that their solution excludes sufficient action on the other important elements. Fine particulate pollution of the upper atmosphere causes greater sunlight scattering to high north and south latitudes, melting ice. Dirty particulate fallout causes more radiation absorption by darkening ice, increasing melt. Oil spills and leaks onto oceans reduce both evaporative cooling and oxygen transfer, changing sea life and ocean currents. Aircraft contrails inhibit night-time heat loss from the atmosphere. Building, paving and vegetative removal promotes heat islands and reduces the fraction of the sun’s energy that is transformed into carbon fixing biosolids growth. There are many other contributing effects. If we put too much of our investment, technical and political resources into the wrong solution, we will not mitigate climate change problems.

Chris in Ajax
said
0 0

I weep when I read the comments posted here. I am not going to argue "facts" that get put out here. I would just encourage one and all to take a look at PEER REVIEWED articles on climate change. You will notice there is not much of a debate going on, it is fairly one sided on the side of climate change is happening and we are causing it. I would like to say that the uneducated masses are the only ones that support the idea that climate change is a farce but that would be highly condescending and untrue. There are plenty of highly educated wealthy people that are profiting off of the public's general ignorance and so hold a vested interest in denying climate change. If I was a praying man I would ask God to save man from himself but alas I am not. When talking with climate change deniers I like to posit this statement: If climate change is a farce and we work to reduce our emissions what have we lost? We lose money. If we do nothing and climate change is real then what is the result? Changing weather patterns, more violent weather, drought, starvation, and displacement of peoples. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the prudent course.

Voter has seen the light on Climate Change
said
0 0

Prime Minister Harper looks so good on the world stage for not destroying the county over this non-sense. I voted Liberal last time but I have seen the light and he has my vote next time. The Ontario Liberals convinced everyone not to buy our gas guzzlers and go green then they asked for a bailout with my tax dollars. My protest is in the ballot box agaqinst the liberals next election.

Jaid in Toronto
said
0 0

I think we need an ice age, so that the next environmentalist act is to start polluting because our species depends on it. Let's be serious here, if you really really really want to be that much of a saviour of the earth, don't shower every day, don't leave remaining food (donate to the poor if need be), and go walk/bike or take the train to work. A sacrifice that about 90% of the population will never commit to.

Raif
said
0 0

These climate change demonstrators are ill informed, brainwashed and manipulated. Even if all of human kind overnight eliminated pollution producing habits the natural occurance would continue. To put that into perspective humankind produce about 10% of the worlds polution, nature produces the other 90%. Now do these demonstators have any solution on how we controll that 90%,of course not. Volcanoes surface and undersea ocean current change solar flaring and orbit wobble are uncontrollable and are by far the greatest contributors to global warming. Methane eruptions in the Arctic ocean are one million times more volumous than that produced by all plant and animal lifeforms. So with that setting do you still think the day of demonstration is still valid? Go home and give your head a shake.

Al
said
0 0

Climate change is a natural phenomenon. People are not going to change anything that is happening. Carbon emissions may be speeding up the process but we could eliminate carbons altogether and it won't change a thing. Climate change will still take place. The planet is fighting back and its not going to be pretty, but the world won't end.

David Wilson
said
0 0

"The naysayers, the folks who would pretend that this is not an issue, they are being marginalized. But I think it's important to understand that the closer we get, the harder the opposition will fight and the more we'll hear from those whose interest or ideology run counter to the much needed action that we're engaged in. There are those who will suggest that moving toward clean energy will destroy our economy -- when it's the system we currently have that endangers our prosperity and prevents us from creating millions of new jobs. There are going to be those who cynically claim -- make cynical claims that contradict the overwhelming scientific evidence when it comes to climate change, claims whose only purpose is to defeat or delay the change that we know is necessary."Barack Obama, October 23, 2009, MIT.

B. Kelley, Ontario
said
0 0

"Day of action urges leaders to stop climate change" Why not urge leaders to stop war, stop poverty, stop disagreeing with each other, stop fanaticism, stop terrorism, stop intolerance, stop racism, stop crime, stop stupid television commercials and stop talking? It isn't possible and it isn't going to happen. Just learn to live with it people. We probably aren't causing the change anyway so you can blame Mother Nature, God or the Liberal Party of Canada if you want. It still won't change a thing.

Tony
said
0 0

CO2 is a trace and vital gas in the atmosphere necessary for life. It comprises about 0.038% of the air we breath in. Of that over 90% is natural the rest is man made (in dollar terms: man's contributing share of the atmosphere is about 4/10 of one penny out of $100 dollar). I can see when something is insignificant and to say human is the cause for the demise of life on the planet is statistically astounding! Why are the eco-activists picking on CO2? Because, not all of us pollute but we all breath and emits CO2; and that is what they (Greens) need to hang over our heads making us feels guilty so they can push their social engineering policies. Earth in the past have much higher CO2 concentration and life flourished and will continue to do so.

Related Websites

International Day of Climate Action at 350.org

Share it with your network of friends

Share this CTV article or feature with your friends. Click on the icon for your favourite social networking or messaging system, and follow the prompts.

Share this article with Facebook

Share this article with Digg

Share this article with Newsvine

Share this article with delicious

Share this article.
Send Email

Share this article with Twitter

Share this article with StumbleUpon

Share this article with Reddit

Share this article with Yahoo! Buzz

Most Viewed News Stories

View More News Stories

Most Talked about Stories

I applaud the budget, even though Health Care and education may stay unscathed. Sadly this cannot last and I worry to later this year where cuts will become enviable. If anything, this provides the Wildrose Alliance plenty of ammo when an election is called.

J Stad

Alberta going for broke with record $4.7B budget deficit

Got something to say? Share on CTV News

Pick your location

See All Shows

Go to the Watch Home Page

Current Selection

Go to the News Home Page

CTVNews

News Programs

CTV News Channel

CTV News Team

Features

Local News

Browse

Services

Canada -

News Sections

News Programs

Features

Browse: