Some signatories of the declaration – many more organizations signed on but were not present for the launch today in Halifax/K’jpuktuk. Photo: Mahbubur Rahman.
Today, at the same time as the news broke that the Federal Court of Appeal quashed the permits for the Trans Mountain Pipeline, the Council voiced its support for the 2030 Declaration in Halifax/K’jpuktuk calling for a just transition to a low-carbon economy.
The declaration reads:
We are calling on the Government of Nova Scotia to set strong greenhouse gas targets – 50% below 1990 levels by 2030 – and, in doing so, transition to a low carbon economy. We must meet this target, and transition our economy, in a way that recognizes the structural inequities of race, gender, income, and the ongoing impacts of colonization and environmental racism in our province. Taking this action now will prevent the worst impacts of climate change, which is already affecting our health, livelihoods, and communities.
We are imagining this just, prosperous future from different present realities. Our transition to a low carbon future must reflect these differences while moving towards climate justice and sustainable economic prosperity.
We can invest in greenhouse gas reductions now, with the goal of greater job creation, in a way that creates better and higher-paying jobs, so more Nova Scotians can find value in their work. We must ensure that workers and communities benefit equitably from this transition, and we must provide training and support for workers throughout Nova Scotia.
Our transition must centre the rights of Indigenous Peoples and follow treaty rights and responsibilities under the Peace and Friendship Treaties here in Mi’kma’ki. Our transition must centre the voices of Mi’kmaw people, African Nova Scotians, and other marginalized peoples, and respect traditional, local, and academic knowledge and the results of inclusive, accessible, transparent, and timely consultation.
Together, we must work toward a just, sustainable, and prosperous future for all communities in Nova Scotia.
Read the full declaration and list of signatories here.
