Exercise #3
February 3, 2022 By: Wanyue Li
The most conspicuous of the many themes present is getting conversations to help people conserve the environment. While comparisons can be drawn on efforts from various countries, Canada has done little to implement policies on the environment, especially on forests. A recent news article by KamloopsNow has voiced the concerns by the indigenous leaders over the “government’s old-growth deferral process.”[1] According to the article, the government is fast in saving the old forests while overlooking at-risk ecosystems in British Columbia. The article notes that close to “26 000 square kilometers of old-growth forests” face the risk of permanent biodiversity loss if the government does not fast-track conservation efforts. Moreover, of all the old-growth forests in the region, 97% have been logged already.[2]. The government’s choice to ask for consent to defer logging was an unwise decision that did not sit well with the residents and environmental experts. Thus, Canada seems to be defecting from its earlier commitment to conserving the environment, especially forests. The news article confirms Canada’s preference for its initial development model that is not sustainable.
In 2020 alone, another news article reported that the global forest cover reduced by a large margin. The authors of the article assert that the global pandemic increased forest loss. Having disrupted the economy by 3.5%, tropical forest cover loss increased by a mammoth 12%.[3] It is believed that with the growing impacts of the pandemic, people will face worse effects shortly. The most notable observation from the article is the reluctance of governments to conserve the environment. Specifically, the author notes that politicians are not ready to implement the existing laws and policies. Besides, they are unwilling to make robust policies to ensure Canada changes its economic development model to one that focuses on environmental conservation. Stopping deforestation has been used politically for some time, and the continued debate in Canada will escalate.[4] Politicians have used the debate to benefit themselves by earning positions and votes from the many people that support industry rather than nature. However, it is critical to note that more forest cover is likely to be lost in the coming years without robust laws on environmental conservation.
[1] KamloopsBCNow. “Indigenous Leaders Concerned over BC Government’s Old-growth Deferral Process.” KamloopsBCNow, 1 Dec. 2021.
[2] Kamloops., par. 6.
[3] Butler, Rhett A. “Global Forest Loss Increased in 2020.” Mongabay Environmental News, 12 May 2021.
[4] Butler., 7.