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Canada: 1c - Colonial Context
How does your footprint reflect the economy of your country, including its colonial relations?
My ecological footprint is high, but still lower than the average of my country. Canada has a strong economy, built upon the exploitation of Indigenous people and their generosity. The backbone of Canada’s economy is the oil industry, the land of which was acquired by signing agreements with Indigenous peoples. This is fair in theory, however the agreements are rarely upheld, and land is continually taken. The inhabitants of countries such as Canada often have high ecological footprints due to the excess of luxuries and environmentally straining lifestyles (diet, mode of transportation, etc.), however these luxuries could not be purchased without the oil industry fueling Canada’s economy.
How are the effects of climate change related with power imbalances among countries or within countries?
Countries which ignore climate change and abuse natural resources are often much more powerful than those who do not. Countries which are considered to be very wealthy also cause the greatest harm to the environment. Colonial powers are an example of this, in which nations such as Britain sought to colonize other countries, such as South Africa, establishing themselves as the authority without the consent of those already there. Within those prosperous countries change is difficult due to strong lobbying power from large businesses who can afford the influence they have due to exploitation of natural resources and people. This is very apparent with the large oil companies, which often challenge pro-environment bills with their vast power.
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1 Comment(s)
Hello Sahaj,
I really enjoyed reading your insightful responses. You talked about the exploitation of the indigenous peoples and their generosity, but did they really have a choice in the agreement? As you probably know, the indigenous are being mistreated today, where their land rights aren't being respected, they're living with high poverty and trafficking rates. How can we restore peace between the two groups? I like how you brought up the example, since it's very similar in countries in Africa, where exploitation is the reason for the divide between the really rich and the very poor. The US backed out of the Paris Agreement for economic reasons; although a country's economy is still very important to sustain its people, at what point is it going too far, and the cons of the actions outweigh the benefits? I understand how oil companies don't be support these efforts because they are afraid of losing their job, not being able to support their family-what incentives and ways can we empower them to support our efforts; the problem isn't that they don't care, it's because they'd have no choice. (Maybe research into how the solar industry employs more, and there are training programs by the US government for coal miners to transition at an affordable cost).
Great response-keep going!!
Helen Chen
Sep 27, 2017