<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=288482159799297&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">

Web Notifications

SaltWire.com would like to send you notifications for breaking news alerts.

Activate notifications?

Saltwire Logo

Welcome to SaltWire

Register today and start
enjoying 30 days of unlimited content.

Get started! Register now

Already a member? Sign in

LETTERS: For and against Extinction Rebellion's Macdonald Bridge protest in Halifax

A small group of protesters refuse to stop their blockade of the Macdonald bridge in Dartmouth on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, as police move in to make arrests. - Tim Krochak
A small group of protesters refuse to stop their blockade of the Macdonald bridge in Dartmouth on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, as police move in to make arrests. - Tim Krochak

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS

Bud the Spud hits the road | SaltWire

Watch on YouTube: "Bud the Spud hits the road | SaltWire"

Climate activists barking up the wrong tree

I recycle, compost and try really hard to be good to the environment. Yeah, I drive a Silverado, but get over it. I can afford it and I live in the Western (free) world.

Climate activists whine to our politicians that we Canadians are the devil, yet we have more trees than any country and we probably plant more than any other has, each year.

We are 37 million people out of a global population of, what, seven billion? Yeah, we're gonna fix the problem. Why don’t you protest in, oh, I don't know, China, India, Russia, Africa and all the other Third World countries? Guess what? They don’t care. Ever see pictures of some of these cities? Smoke so thick you can’t see, let alone breathe.

There was a climate protest in Halifax late last month; they closed down major arteries at rush hour — no smog there from all the people held up in traffic. Then they closed down the Macdonald Bridge at rush hour, no smog there.

We try to do a lot when it comes to renewable energy: solar, wind, hydro power. Pick on someone who deserves it, like some countries that mainly rely on burning coal. Oh, right. They don’t care. Do I have the answers? No. But stop wasting our resources.

Dana Taylor, HRM

An inconvenient truth

It was discouraging to see the outrage over Extinction Rebellion’s decision to temporarily close the Macdonald Bridge in Halifax. It is an indication that people are not ready to get serious about climate change and loss of biodiversity. We want change — but only as long as it doesn’t inconvenience us. Most scientists agree that we, or our descendants, will experience far more than inconvenience if we don’t take action soon. Business as usual will not result in change. 

(And yes, for those of you who love to look for every possible sign of hypocrisy in people who are advocating for action, I am aware that I don’t live in Halifax and that I did not have to experience the inconvenience.)

Sheila Henderson, St. Alphonse

RELATED:

Op-ed Disclaimer

SaltWire Network welcomes letters on matters of public interest for publication. All letters must be accompanied by the author’s name, address and telephone number so that they can be verified. Letters may be subject to editing. The views expressed in letters to the editor in this publication and on SaltWire.com are those of the authors, and do not reflect the opinions or views of SaltWire Network or its Publisher. SaltWire Network will not publish letters that are defamatory, or that denigrate individuals or groups based on race, creed, colour or sexual orientation. Anonymous, pen-named, third-party or open letters will not be published.

It has been our privilege to have the trust and support of our East Coast communities for the last 200 years. Our SaltWire team is always watching out for the place we call home. Our 100 journalists strive to inform and improve our East Coast communities by delivering impartial, high-impact, local journalism that provokes thought and action. Please consider joining us in this mission by becoming a member of the SaltWire Network and helping to make our communities better.
Share story:
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Local, trusted news matters now more than ever.
And so does your support.

Ensure local journalism stays in your community by purchasing a membership today.

The news and opinions you’ll love starting as low as $1.

Start your Membership Now