The night before I left for Bali I heard my two boys talking in their
bunkbeds, "I hate it when Mommy goes away." said Quinn(4). "I know but
Mommy's going to save the climate." said Forrest (8). Forrest's confidence
in me was crushing and motivating at the same time. I was reminded of
hearing Barbara Kingsolver interviewed years ago on the radio about how she
stays motivated and hopeful in the face of such huge environmental
challenges. Her reply has come back to me again and again as I have sat
devestated reading the reports coming out of the International Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) over the past two years. "I am a parent," she said.
"And therefore hope is the only moral choice." So it is with a renewed
sense of purpose and hope that I find myself in Bali this evening preparing
to engage in what I believe is the most important conversation in the world.

A conversation that will not only shape my children's future but will decide
the fate of millions of people and the ecosystems we depend on all over the
world.

Ironically, the day I left we were hit with yet another freak storm rolling
in over the pacific that knocked out power lines, took down trees and left
our little island and much of the west coast of Canada blanketed in a thick
carpet of snow. Snow is unusual in that part of the country and many of the
coastal communities are ill prepared to deal with it. I am lucky to live in
a small community that I have watched band together many times over the past
two years to deal with the long power outages, blocked roads and cancelled
ferries. In the early light of the morning a neighbor came to my rescue
with a 4 by 4 and a chainsaw to clear the road and get me to the dock so
that I could begin my long journey from Canada to Indonesia. We laughed
about battling the weird weather to get me to a climate change conference,
the moment bitter sweet as the reality of the enormity of the challenges we
all face in the coming years staring at us through the windsheild.

Last month the IPCC reported for the first time that a 2 degree warming is
now "unavoidable" and will lead to "catastrophic climate change" - droughts
in some regions, floods in others, fires, food shortages and a dramatic
increase in hurricanes. There is no question that mitigating and adapting
to climate change is the challenge of our age and that the discussions that
have just begun in Bali will play a huge part in defining whether we can
work quickly to reduce the damage we are doing and retool society for a low
carbon future. As a Canadian I come to Bali with the knowledge that short
weeks ago under the Harper government "leadership" we scuttled the potential
of a significant agreement at the Commonwealth talks that would have
committed so many countries to strong mandatory reductions in fossil fuel
emissions. I am also painfully aware that we are one of the only countries
that has reneged on our commitments under the Kyoto protocol and are now
balking at new commitments. I do believe that we need global agreements
that all countries participate in but Harpers stance that we won't commit
until other developing nations commit - specifically China is appalling.
Shall we hold off having democratic elections until China does as well? It
does seem clear that the Harper government is not particularly concerned
with democracy or at least in representing the public. For over a year the
polls have shown that global warming is the most important issue to
Canadians and that we want strong action. Yet the 'Tar Sands Tories'
persist in pushing 'intensity' targets and 'aspirational goals' at a time
when the science is screaming for us to move quickly and enact strong
legislative change.

The conversations started for me the second I landed in Bali as conference
delegates found each other in the baggage claim and the visa lines. Before
I had even collected my baggage I had given out several copies of, "Stupid
to the Last Drop" by William Marsden (Random House has donated 100 books for
me to distribute in Bali to raise awareness of the devastating impact of
Canada's rapidly expanding tar sands see the press release at
www.forestethics.org. For some really good reports on the tar sands see
www.pembina.org). In the shuttle to the hotel I was at a loss to explain to
academics from France and Germany why so few people realize that Canada is
fast at work creating the largest and most destructive fossil fuel projects
in the world and has now become the biggest exporter of oil to the United
States. The conversation turned quickly, as it often does when Canadians
travel abroad, to our spectacular forests and again I was at a loss to
explain why Canada did not agree to account for emissions from logging and
carbon storage in our forests under Kyoto. We all agreed that Bali offers a
new opportunity to revisit the forest rules and hopefully to ensure
agreement for greater conservation of primary forests in the North and
South. Canada's great northern Boreal that stretches across the country and
our towering temperate rainforests store more carbon than any other
terrestrial ecosystems on earth. Yet we are still logging 5 acres a minute
to make junkmail, catalogues and lumber primarily for US consumption.

But hope is in the air here in Bali. It is invigorating to be surrounded by
thousands of people talking about solutions to climate change. Tomorrow the
IPCC will present a summary of their most recent findings, I'll attend a
side event on Canadian energy policy and prepare for my speech on Forests
Day on the opportunities and threats to Canada's tremendous biodiversity and
carbon storehouses. I plan to attend press briefings and hunt down key
heads of state to deliver more copies of "Stupid to the Last Drop". It
feels great to be doing something tangible and immersing myself in this
conversation. Forrest, if you are reading this know that mommy is giving it
all she's got.