Our Trip to Churchill Contest
Readers will already know about our draw. Canadians over 18 who sign up for Earth Hour will be eligible to win a trip for two to see polar bears where they congregate on the shore of Hudson Bay before venturing out onto the ever-shrinking sea ice.
The first thing to note is that this isn’t a trip to Las Vegas or Disneyland. It’s a chance to see an animal whose survival is directly threatened by climate change.
A second point worth making is that the objective for Earth Hour is preventing climate change, full stop. Earth Hour was conceived as a way of getting people to think about climate change and mobilized against the things that cause it. Yes, its fun—yes, it’s supposed to be fun—but its all about reducing greenhouse gases, and nothing but.
Which leads to the thorny part of the discussion. Flying people up to Churchill will create greenhouse gas emissions—how do we justify that?
The best answer is to present the case as a classic one-step-backward-for-two-steps forward progression. We acknowledge that there will be a carbon footprint in this singular event. But we also hope that the payback will be a greater number of people taking action against climate change and reducing overall emissions. To be encouraged to do that, though, people first need to be made fully aware of the dangers associated with climate change.
That’s why we chose polar bears as our tie-in to the broader crisis.
Polar bears are what we call a ‘canary-in-the-coalmine species’. Canada’s Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on the planet. During the past 30 years, 25 percent of Arctic sea ice has disappeared, pushing polar bears relentlessly towards extinction. What happens to polar bears may be an early indication of what’s in store, globally, if global warming is not averted.
We want people to understand the connection between polar bears and their own future.
That’s also why we think it’s so important that Good Life members understand this connection, and help us as spread the word. The result we’re aiming for is a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
If you haven’t signed up for Earth Hour already, please do and help us achieve this—and if it happens to be you who wins the trip to Churchill, so much the better.
You’re exactly the ambassador we need.