Frederictonians Draw Links Between Climate Change and Income Insecurity

Climate anxiety and income anxiety are inseparable in many ways. 

That’s why last month, the Conservation Council invited Frederictonians to gather virtually to discuss the connections between climate change and income inequality and brainstorm potential solutions.

The conversation, held Jan. 19, 2022, was part of the Green Resilience Project, a national campaign to create spaces in communities across Canada where a wide range of participants can talk through the links between climate action, income security and their ability to create stronger, healthier communities.

Climate and income security are linked in several ways, but many people rarely have the time or energy to think about their carbon footprints as they struggle to pay for food, power, housing, and other essentials. 

The impacts of climate change worsen income inequality, too—increasing energy use for heating and cooling during extreme heat waves and cold snaps, threatening food security through more frequent droughts or crop-consuming pests, and raising insurance rates which affects housing affordability, among a myriad of interconnections. 

Fredericton residents, community leaders, organizers, and academics took part in the two-hour conversation.

They discussed the many effects of climate change and income insecurity in the Fredericton region, identifying the housing crisis, food security, the cost of energy, and low wages as the most pressing issues. 

Climate change does not affect everyone equally. People from low-income backgrounds tend to be on the frontlines of climate effects. By starting this conversation, the Green Resilience Project and the Conservation Council hope to spark the process of making Fredericton more climate resilient and to ensure a just transition for all members of the community.  

NB’s next five-year Climate Action Plan

Did you know the government of New Brunswick is currently holding hearings and accepting public feedback as it looks to update its Climate Change Action Plan

The updated plan will guide government action on climate change over the next five years.

Have your say: Use our toolkit for help participating in the public consultation, which runs until Feb. 24.

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