Don’t let Conservatives cut Canadian ozone research
There is a 2,000,000 km² hole in the ozone above Canada. Shouldn’t we know why?
That’s when Environment Canada’s ozone network — a ground- and air-based ozone monitoring research program that the prestigious scientific journal Nature described as “a linchpin of Arctic ozone observations” — will be drastically cut back.
The ozone layer is critical to life on Earth. It protects us from incoming ultraviolet sunlight, which can cause cataracts, sunburn, skin cancers, and local and whole body immunosuppression.
Each year, larger holes are appearing and we still don’t know why. But Canada is providing answers. Ozone depletion occurs primarily at the poles. Since Canada has sovereignty over so much of the Arctic, we are not only uniquely positioned to lead the study of it, but also have a responsibility to do so.
But Conservatives don’t want you to know any of this. After word leaked of the cuts, Conservatives started a campaign to muzzle scientists and track down the source of the leak according to reports from CBC, Vancouver Sun and Ottawa Citizen.
They won’t even let Environment Canada scientists talk about their own work to the media. And they’ve let leading Canadian ozone researchers know their jobs are on the chopping block.
There’s still time to reverse this disastrous Conservative policy.
Liberals, like Environment Critic Dr. Kirsty Duncan, are leading the fight in the House of Commons. You can raise your voice with us to call on Conservatives to restore the Canadian ozone network research program.
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