Opinion: Calgary's city budget needs climate action now

“As the smoke from the Oregon, Washington and California wildfires rolled in last month, one thing became increasingly clear: climate change is not a distant problem. It is a current catastrophe with real and immediate costs in terms of economic impact, lives lost, and environmental devastation. We are witnessing unprecedented, life-threatening destruction of natural and financial capital. And it is going to get worse.

In November, Calgary city council will address the economic challenges brought about by the triple threats of the collapse of oil prices, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. The city budget is in trouble. Money from the federal and provincial governments will help the city through this year, but — with prudent efficiency gains exhausted — the balance between spending, revenue and service is no longer sustainable."

Read more of this op-ed (co-written by Celia Lee, executive director, Sustainable Calgary; Bob Morrison, chair, Mobilize Node, Calgary Climate Hub; Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee, chair, Calgary Alliance for the Common Good; Gerald Wheatley, manager, Arusha Centre) on the Calgary Herald website: https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-calgarys-city-budget-needs-climate-action-now/wcm/f17b4ec4-26bf-4a9a-a291-589e3544ae80/amp/?__twitter_impression=true