I’m Lauren Greenlaw, a municipal councillor for the District of Squamish, and an earth scientist with a bachelor of science, engineering and a master’s of science in geology.
I want to raise awareness about the Sue Big Oil class action lawsuit that invites municipalities to pursue climate change cost recovery from the fossil fuel industry. It’s a low-risk, low-cost initiative with a financial contribution, capped at $1 per /resident, paid only once the lawsuit has reached 500,000 people.
To put this into perspective, consider that the District of Squamish’s current Climate Adaptation and Mitigation capital projects amount to over $40 million, or about $1,300 per resident, over the next five years alone. Climate change is and will continue to be very expensive, with costs ultimately disproportionately landing on younger generations.
Human-induced climate change is often branded as “political” or “subjective”: this is a tactic. In fact human induced climate change has about the same scientific consensus (97%) as evolution: it is as close to a fact as science gets. As a scientist, I have studied the earth for 20-plus years, looked at raw data, observed natural trends and experienced, as we all have, the impacts of climate change: we are in trouble.
Insurance companies are increasingly deeming homes "uninsurable" due to wildfire and flood risks. Government doesn’t have the capacity or reserves to indefinitely fund the costs of extreme weather. The reality is: we will be seeing massive taxation increases if we don't seek reparations from the very companies who’ve intentionally seeded misinformation about climate change for decades to extend profitability. It is not unprecedented to take legal action against corporations for spreading misinformation about their products in the name of profits, as seen in successful lawsuits brought against big tobacco.
Municipalities get approximately 12% of the taxation income and cover the maintenance of 60% of our infrastructure, leaving property taxpayers on the hook for massive costs for climate change tolls on infrastructure. My time as an elected official has led me to believe our best course of action is pursuing tactics for recovering climate change costs, like Sue Big Oil, while holding our provincial and federal governments accountable for fiscal transparency and social accountability by demanding transparency about subsidies, and the cessation of tax dollar investments in infrastructure and subsidization of a dying fossil fuel industry. Instead of funding fossil fuels, redistribute tax dollars to residents, services, and municipalities to cover the costs of growth, infrastructure, and climate change.
The fossil fuel industry doesn't need our money: We need our money.
As a scientist, I cannot overemphasize the impacts climate change has and will continue to have on our planet, with projected global costs reaching trillions annually. We are on a trajectory that will render this planet unrecognizable as ever-increasing areas become uninhabitable for humans, disproportionately affecting poor people, with a predicted displacement of billions by 2070. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has implored everyone to take action. As an elected leader, it is incumbent upon me to protect our safety, infrastructure and financial solvency, which is why I wholeheartedly endorse the Sue Big Oil campaign.
I would love to hear the opinions of the under 40s reading this, as they will carry the brunt of the financial, environmental, social and emotional burden of climate change. Please: comment on this article or reach out to me with your age, thoughts about holding fossil fuel companies accountable and our government’s actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Thanks for your time.
Coun. Lauren Greenlaw
Squamish
