Book of art is also being mailed to 10 federal cabinet ministers and party leaders

VANCOUVER | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORIES OF THE xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) FIRST NATIONS — One week before world leaders meet at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, to establish rules for implementing the Paris Agreement, the David Suzuki Foundation launched a national poster project to show the urgency of the climate crisis and the diversity and creativity of people calling for ambitious and urgent action.

Led by community arts facilitator Nadia Chaney, the Foundation convened 36 artists in an online workshop on August 29, 2021. They worked together to hone their stories and create compelling art for climate justice. The result: 36 striking pieces, now available as posters people can put up in their communities to help call on the federal government for urgent, ambitious climate action.

“Meeting the challenge of the climate crisis requires the full potential of human imagination,” David Suzuki Foundation public engagement specialist and #ArtForClimateJustice campaign lead Jodi Stark said. “Every year, hundreds of thousands of people throughout Canada sign petitions, make phone calls, write to government, send letters to editors, present to councils and committees to demand climate action. They organize in kitchens, online, in school cafeterias. They march in the streets. We hope this project helps lift up and celebrate this beautiful and diverse community.”

The poster project is part of the Foundation’s climate ambition campaign, which asks people in Canada to sign a petition calling on the federal government for increased climate action.

“You don’t have to be a scientist to know we’re in a dire situation,” Foundation executive director Severn Cullis-Suzuki said. “In my home province of B.C., more than 700 people died from the extreme temperatures of last summer’s heat dome. Forest fires forced thousands from their homes. An entire town burned to the ground. The time for incrementalism is over. We need transformative change. And that requires creativity. It’s an honour to lift up these voices, a small sample of the depth and beauty of the climate movement.”

As Canada prepares to send its delegation to arguably the most important climate conference ever, COP26 — where the world will determine whether it can get on track to meet 2030 climate targets — an #ArtForClimateJustice book will also be mailed to federal party leaders and cabinet ministers with relevant portfolios to remind them of their duty to ensure Canada does its fair share to address the climate crisis this decade.

“With the increasingly questionable ethics of social media, it’s important to also find different ways to reach people,” Stark said. “Since we have so much digital communication in our lives already, it’s time to have some fun in real life, and amplify these crucial messages in a way where algorithms won’t get in the way.”

– 30 –

All #ArtForClimateJustice artwork and background information is available at:
davidsuzuki.org/art-for-climate-justice

For more information or a media interview, please contact:

Brendan Glauser, David Suzuki Foundation, bglauser@davidsuzuki.org, 604-356-8829