OPEN LETTER: Ontario should commit to MPP Ted Arnott and Wellington County’s Green Legacy Program

OPEN LETTER: Ontario should commit to MPP Ted Arnott and Wellington County’s Green Legacy Program

Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada recognizes MPP Ted Arnott and Wellington County’s Green Legacy Program proposal to go province wide by planting 150 Million Trees to Celebrate Ontario’s 150th Anniversary as a Province within Canada

Statement by members of  Citizens’ Climate Lobby in Wellington County Ontario, Gord Cumming and Liz Armstrong and Cathy Orlando, National Manager, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada, February 24 2016

Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada supports and appreciates the proposal by the Honourable Ted Arnott, Member of Provincial Parliament for Wellington-Halton Hills, to plant 150 million trees beginning in 2017 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Ontario’s entry into Confederation with New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Québec in 1867.

The plan is building upon a successful campaign in Wellington County, Ontario, called the Green Legacy Program, where local residents have planted over 150,000 trees each year since 2004.

Recognition of the immense value of trees led to all-party and unanimous support in the Ontario legislature on October 22, 2015 when the proposal was introduced by Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott to plant 150 million trees across Ontario. While an Ontario Green Legacy Programme was endorsed by the Ontario Legislature, the Ontario Government needs to commit to this now to ensure it is implemented by 2017.

Forests, woodlands and urban parks help fight climate change. Through the natural process of photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide and other pollutant particulates, then store the carbon and emit oxygen.

Humans have upset the planetary carbon cycle by burning fossil fuels and with our land use practices. The planetary atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are now above 400 ppm – a level not seen on this planet in millions of years. The scientifically recognized safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 350 ppm.

Trees and forests are a hugely important carbon sink for the excess carbon dioxide; humans have put well over 100 ppm  of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the dawn of the Industrial Age in 1750.

By planting trees and dramatically reducing our fossil use, we can be rest-assured that future generations will look back upon this time history and say they had courage to do the right thing. The Honourable Ted Arnott is using his political power to create a liveable world for future generations. We commend and endorse his valuable work. We too call upon the government of Ontario to commit to this now to ensure it is implemented by 2017.