QUATHIASKI COVE, B.C. — The psychological dynamics ofproblem solving are well known. When a problem is identified andassessed, and when a corrective strategy is formulated andactivated, then people begin to feel better. Hope replaces thefeeling of inevitable defeat that is the result of inaction.Uncertainty and procrastination are corrosive to contentment andlethal to optimism.

Optimism can’t replace pessimism until constructive actionbegins. This explains why increasing numbers of people arebecoming gloomy about their environmental future. Those witheven the most rudimentary understanding of environmental issuesrecognize that the problems are large, serious and complex, thatthey are deep and global rather than superficial and local. As thepredictions of climate science become more dire, the mooddarkens. The dangerous threshold of a 2°C increase in globaltemperature is now considered to be inevitable. The scientificmodels are predicting 4°C by 2060-2070, and — unless wereduce emissions quickly and dramatically — at least 6°C by2100.

The pessimism in Canada is particularly pronounced because this countryhas a federal government that actively subverts international efforts toreduce carbon dioxide emissions, is silent on the ecological effects of amelting Arctic, avoids discussing the root cause of extreme weatherevents, systematically obstructs scientists who raise issues ofenvironmental relevance, and blithely plots a future for Canadians thatseems wholly disconnected from the most basic principles of climate

science.

Indeed, Canada’s government seems to be living on a different planet,oblivious to the mood of concern eroding the morale of the country. Nowonder that a cloud of pessimism is darkening the emergence ofoptimism when our national political leadership seems numb to thecatastrophic consequences of unrestrained greenhouse gas emissions.

The tragedy of this position of denial is compounded by the experiencethat real problems are more easily solved than imagined ones. Whenproblems are identified and solutions attempted, we find ways toovercome obstacles that once seemed overwhelming. But worry in thecompany of inaction is a fatal combination that wastes energy, sapsresolve, squanders creativity and produces cynicism.

Instead of contemplating corrective strategies, the imagination concoctsworse-case scenarios, anticipates disaster and dissolves in gloom.Passive resignation is a poor substitute for positive initiative. Without aCanadian strategy for addressing the twin threats of global warming andclimate change, everyone in the country becomes a fretting victim offailure, rendered powerless about a fate they are not attempting to avoid.

To counteract this destructive effect, many provinces, cities, towns andmunicipalities have undertaken heroic initiatives that range from carbontaxes and bicycling infrastructure to composting projects and urbangardening. Green spaces, parks, walkways and stream rehabilitation arejust a few of their initiatives to restore and enhance healthy environments.Within their limited capabilities they have attempted to increase energyefficiencies, provide rapid transit and limit urban sprawl.

Heroic as these undertakings are, their effects are relatively small withoutan overarching national policy that sets and coordinates clear objectivesthat can then be synchronized with local and international policies. Thefundamental environmental threat we are facing is multinational andglobal. Community and individual effort is exemplary and important. Butthe key to eventual ecological management is a system of guidingnational initiatives that concur with global principles. When such principlesare clearly defined and assiduously respected, they inspire hope.

In this regard, the Canadian government is guilty of neglect,abject failure and even subversion.

While Ottawa has just started to consider carbon taxes, Norway isincreasing its levy from $33 to $72 per tonne to add an extra $1.6billion to funds that will increase energy efficiencies, combatclimate change, encourage renewable energy, enhance foodsecurity, reduce deforestation and help developing countriesconvert to low-carbon energy sources. Norwegians are debt free,with $720 billion in savings to safeguard their security and theecologies on which they depend.

Britain is actually meeting its 1990 Kyoto Protocol target forgreenhouse gas emissions, an objective that Canada dismissedas being impossible for itself — subsequently withdrawing, for thefirst time in its history, from a legally binding obligation to theinternational community.

While some countries struggle bravely to reduce their greenhousegases, Canada’s contribution has been dismal. Our bewilderingnegligence has branded us a pariah state that is undermining theworld’s environmental security.

The effect on the Canadian psyche of our national inaction and theresulting international censure is corrosive. This explains why doomsdayscenarios are becoming a preoccupation of our imagination. If Canada’sgovernment were to methodically address environmental problems in amanner proportional to their actual severity, and if it were to actively solicitand encourage public dialogue, participation and innovation, then theCanadian collective mood would brighten.

The focus of our attention would shift from helpless worry to actualsolutions — of which there are many — and optimism would begin toreplace pessimism. When, however, our national government is not evencapable of acknowledging a problem as fundamental and obvious asglobal climate change, then the effect is sufficiently poisonous to preventus from proceeding to hopeful and practical solutions.

Ray Grigg is the author of seven internationally published books onOriental philosophy, specifically Zen and Taoism.

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