An ecoSanity.org initiative in association with RANT (Rainforest Action Network Toronto), and in support of RAN International’s Global Finance: Ending Destructive Investment & Freedom From Oil campaigns.
Nutshell
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is a major sponsor of the Toronto Int’l Film Festival (TIFF).
It is also the largest financier to companies operating in and ‘developing’ the Canadian Tar Sands ($8.9 BILLION over the last 4 years), the single most environmentally destructive and deadly greenhouse gas and hydrogen sulphide-emitting industrial project on Earth.
Join our urgent call for:
- TIFF to sever all connection to Royal Bank of Canada until such time as RBC becomes a climate responsible leader in the banking industry
- RBC to cut off all financing of dirty fossil fuels and redirect it to fund clean energy — FAST
And if you bank with RBC, STOP, take your money elsewhere and tell others you know to do the same. Tar sands investment kills — Don’t bank with RBC!
Canadian Tar Sands – Our Home & Native Land
Tar sands ‘development’ targets a total area the size of Florida and decimates huge expanses of boreal forest into toxic wasteland in violation of the traditional land and water rights of Indigenous peoples and other frontline communities who suffer direct threats to their health.
The insane, resource intensive and rapacious extraction process causes 3 to 5 times more global heating emissions than conventional oil and requires 2 to 5 barrels of fresh water, a soon-to-be-scarce resource in a climate threatened world, to make just 1 barrel of oil.
The tar sands are the largest source of projected new greenhouse gas pollution in Canada and most of the production is exported to the U.S. to fuel its heroin-like addiction to oil.
This ‘arrangement’ is the primary reason why the current Canadian government is a major obstructer at international climate negotiations and a shameful embarrassment to our nation.
And perhaps worst of all, investment into projects like the tar sands are massive obstacles that delay humanity’s one-time chance to initiate emergency global investment in, and urgent transformation to, a clean, survivable, zero-carbon world before irreversible, rapidly approaching climate tipping points are passed.
Why Care About Climate Change?
The thing you never hear stated very clearly is, at present, the world’s atmosphere is on course to reach a state of potentially unsurvivable global heating and climate breakdown extremes (fresh water and food scarcity, resources wars, mass migration, disease, extreme weather and more) within the lifetimes of today’s children.
Yup, you read that right. The climate crisis is a clear, present, accelerating global emergency and unprecedented threat to the survival of most life — this century.
5 Issues with TIFF
Steps that would normally be entertained, and may already have been partially implemented — hybrids, recycled paper, energy conservation — are important. But similar to the challenges faced by our western, consumerist society of excess as a whole, for TIFF to effect real, impactful and influential change requires a profound transformation of its core values and a broad re-conception.
1. TIFF has NO official environmental policy and a pervasive disregard for environmental responsibility
Implement a thorough, ambitious, industry-leading environmental policy that would not only make the festival as green as possible, but also set high environmental standards for everyone associated.
2. TIFF is aligned with numerous green-washing companies and banks
For starters, disassociate with RBC until they become a climate responsible leader in the banking industry.
3. TIFF results in the carbon footprint of thousands of associated flights, limos and SUV’s
Don’t fly everyone in. Instead, transform approach into a cutting edge, screens-only video conference.
4. TIFF promotes a culture of excess…
…despite the growing detriment to the people of the most impoverished nations who are suffering and dying from the devastating impacts of rich nation-induced climate change RIGHT NOW (increased poverty, spiking food prices, dwindling fresh water, starvation, disease, drought, desertification, ocean acidification, flooding, rising sea levels overcoming entire island states, genocide, resource wars).
Instead of excess, promote sustainability and conservation.
5. TIFF’s new Bell Lightbox tower is not LEED certified (environmental building certification) and, to our knowledge, was given no environmental consideration
With TIFF’s scale, influence and footprint should follow the absolute moral responsibility to take aggressive action. Given the dire state of the climate crisis, it must happen fast.
The World Needs Leadership From Events Like TIFF.
Get informed. Get inspired. Get involved and help to motivate bold, new, transformative approaches and just, resilient, EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS to the climate crisis — FAST.
Join the Emergency Movement. Join the Race — 2 Survival!
MORE
ecoSanity.org (Tar Sands, TIFF, Climate Emergency: R2S Campaign)
- ecoSanity.org blogeye – Tar Sands Kill! Essential Facts & Resources
- ecoSanity.org blogeye – Alberta Tar Sands
- ecoSanity.org blogeye – Previous TIFF Campaigns
- ecoSanity.org – Climate Emergency: Race 2 Survival Campaign
- ecoSanity.org – What is the Race 2 Survival Campaign About?
climateye’s most essential EMERGENCY info