Naomi Klein slams global response to climate change at Winnipeg event

Canadian author and activist, Naomi Klein criticizedglobal efforts to combatclimate changein Winnipeg Friday night in front of a packed house at Knox United Church. The event was hosted by the Manitoba chapter of theCanadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

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Klein stressed if global temperature rise 2 degrees Cand beyond, the effects would be catastrophic for many countries, including those in Africa, low lying Pacific Islands and regions that rely on glaciers for drinking water.

"There are human beings behind these numbers," Klein said.

December's Paris Climate Agreementconsidered to be the world's first universal climate agreementincludes a commitment to keep the rise in global temperatures well below2Ccompared to pre-industrial times, while striving to limit them even more, to 1.5 C.

But Klein said in order to reach those targets, countries around the world mustaggressively pursue alternative energy. If we stay on our current track world temperatures could rise 3 or even 4 degrees C, she said.

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"It means that the vast majority of known fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground. We have five times more carbon in our proven fossil fuel reserves than is compatible with the 2degree temperature target," she said.

There is a worrisome gapbetween what the Paris agreementseeks to achieve and the nationally-determined plans to reduce emissions,Kleinsaid.

"Our governmentsin their infinite wisdomhave said, 'We know what we need to do and we are willing to do roughly half that,'" she said.

"What we had in Paris was a pretty good definitionof safety coupled with a concrete plan for disaster."

InCanada, 90 per cent of Alberta's oil sands bitumen needs to stay in the groundto avoid dangerous degrees of warming,Kleinargued.

"There is no room for expansion of the Alberta tar sands if we are going to keep these promises," shesaid.

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