'Stop dithering': Climate-conscious B.C. seniors call for government action

Seniors protest for climate action on Denman Island on Oct. 1, 2024. (X/ClimateSeniors)

Concerned seniors organized climate protests across Canada on Tuesday, including “rocking chair rallies” outside the constituency offices of two B.C. politicians.

Participants in the inaugural Seniors for Climate event – which was planned to coincide with National Seniors Day – are worried about the growing threat rising global temperatures pose to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, said 78-year-old organizer Lynne Kent.

“We all need to pay attention to what’s going on and do our part to save the planet,” she said. “That’s the bottom line, isn’t it?”

Kent has a background in mediation and conflict resolution, but has been spending her retirement years picking fights with the government, demanding more investment in alternative energy sources and fewer subsidies for Canadian oilfields.

"We're exploiting our own country – doing damage within the country with the oil extraction – and sending it around the world to harm other countries," she said.

The seniors taking part in Tuesday’s events are hoping to use their sway – as the “most significant demographic that votes,” Kent said – to advocate on behalf of younger generations. A news release from Seniors for Climate urges those in power to "stop dithering" and decrease the country's reliance on fossil fuels.

Events scheduled in B.C. include rocking chair sit-ins at the constituency offices of MLAs Sheila Malcolmson in Nanaimo and Brittny Anderson in Nelson, plus a larger protest outside the provincial legislature.

In Vancouver, organizers have put together a "Climate Crawl" on Granville Island – inspired by the East Vancouver Culture Crawl – with film screenings, line dancing, a choir performance and free snacks.

Kent said they will also be handing out template letters that attendees can use to put pressure on their municipal, provincial and federal politicians.

Organizers intend to make Seniors for Climate an annual event, and have even bigger plans for next year, according to Kent, who is involved in more than half a dozen environmental groups and women’s organizations, and has no intention of slowing down in her old age.

“I’m very proud to be 78,” she added. "I think it's a privilege to get this far – absolutely, in this climate.”