Rebellions are Built On Hope

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 16, 2025
Media Contact: Cathy Orlando, 705-929-4043 cathy@citizensclimate.org

Sudbury ON Canada, in Robinson-Huron Treaty Territory: Every September since 2009, as the United Nations General Assembly meets in New York City, people around the world have mobilized to show that alternatives to fossil fuels exist for space heating, power and transport, and that choosing them makes our world more resilient and affordable.

The urgency is clear: smoke from Canada’s 2023 wildfires has been linked to at least 82,000 deaths worldwide.

Instead of blaming, we must ask why, despite decades of evidence, we remain in crisis and what we need to do?

Fossil fuel companies have misled the public about the energy transition since at least 1967. As far back as 1991, the Canadian arm of Exxon Mobil anticipated that a high carbon tax would be necessary to maintain a stable climate, yet they hid the truth. Exxon’s later claims of supporting carbon pricing in North America in the late 2010s were disingenuous, a fact publicly called out earlier this year by Honourable Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Minister from 2015 to 2019.

It was not surprising, although deeply disappointing, that PM Carney cancelled the consumer carbon price and rebate in May 2025 after relentless disinformation about pricing pollution and climate solutions. You would think one might give up trying.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) celebrates 15 years this September. Hope is one of our core values. We are inspired by Jyn in Star Wars: Rogue One, who reminds us, “Rebellions are built on hope.”

Where is the hope? Canadians are not giving up. Over 60 cities will participate in the Global Days of Action on Saturday, September 20, the largest climate mobilization since Greta Thunberg inspired over a million Canadians in 2019. Worldwide, 89% of citizens want stronger government action on climate change, yet some politicians continue to underestimate this support.

Momentum is building. At the recent launch of Spain’s climate emergency policy briefing, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reminded climate change deniers that “climate change kills.” In Canada, at least 50 MPs have joined an environmental caucus within the Liberal Party, signalling growing recognition of the need for urgent action.

The data is now clear: transitioning off fossil fuels will not only protect the planet but also make our lives more affordable.

• The Canadian Climate Institute reports that switching to energy-efficient electric technologies will reduce household energy costs by 12% by 2050. 
• Stanford researchers estimate that transitioning 145 countries to 100% renewable energy would cost $62 trillion but save $11 trillion annually, recouping the investment in just six years.
• Deloitte found that a rapid global net-zero transition could add $43 trillion to the economy, while inaction could cost $178 trillion by 2070.
• The International Energy Agency confirms that faster clean energy adoption reduces global energy costs.
  

People often ask us, what about China? Here is the most up to date information we could find: China is leading a global cleantech revolution, rapidly expanding solar, wind and storage.  In 2025, China installed 244 GW of solar and wind in just five months, more than the rest of the world combined by early September. It should come as no surprise that earlier this year the International Energy Agency reported China has and China’s greenhouse gas emissions fell in the first half of 2025 . Lastly, China has been experimenting with carbon pricing since the mid-2010s and launched their national carbon pricing system in 2021.

For 30 years, the IPCC and UNFCCC have created climate solutions. They exist. Choosing them is how we secure a better world—now.

That is why we continue to join mobilizations, call our parliamentarians, and gather for the 26th time for National Conference and Lobbying Days in October in Ottawa. Relationships are at the heart of our work, another of CCL’s core values.

In an age of AI and social media overload, in-person connection is a breath of fresh air.

We are at transformational moment. Change is built on trust, and trust is built over many cups of tea.

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