Records show Governor General Mary Simon used approximately 25,000 litres of jet fuel to give a speech at a climate change conference in Finland. During her speech, Simon stated the urgent need to “act now” to preserve the planet..“Act now when it is most critical to combat climate change at the source, treating both the symptoms and the disease,” said Simon. Everyone must help reduce emissions, she said..“We cannot ignore that how we do things is just as important as what we do,” said Simon. .“We must collaborate across borders.” .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Simon’s Feb. 9 speech in Rovaniemi, Finland, was entitled “Discussion on Climate Change and the Impacts on Livelihoods.”.According to an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the Commons, it was reported that Simon was joined by her husband, an official photographer, and 13 passengers, along with the crew of the Challenger jet during her trip to Finland. The cost of jet fuel for this trip was $39,252..Figures were disclosed at the request of Conservative MP Dan Albas (Central Okanagan-Similkameen, BC), who asked for details “with regard to usage of the government’s fleet of Challenger aircraft.”.The Royal Canadian Air Force estimated Simon’s trip cost 24,290 litres of fuel. One litre of jet fuel weighs approximately one kilogram. “One kilogram of jet fuel in an aircraft produces 3.16 kilograms of carbon,” according to an International Air Transport Association emission calculator, Carbon Offset Program.. Climate Fuel Table .The Governor General's climate conference trip cost 77 tonnes of emissions. To put this into perspective, according to estimates from the department of Transport, a passenger car driven for an entire year emits approximately 3.46 tonnes of carbon emissions..“Temperatures are warming,” said Simon. .“Sea ice is melting. The natural rhythm of the North is changing. In Canada, Inuit have lived in northern climates near the water and ice for millennia.”.Climate change was fatal, added Simon. .“Traditional knowledge can no longer confirm to hunters and fishers that the ice is as thick as it should be and we experience fatalities and other accidents because of it,” said Simon..“Inuit aren’t the only people to experience this, nor is Canada the only country impacted. A warming Arctic has far-reaching consequences. What we do as stewards of the Arctic, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, has a direct impact globally.”.During the Rovaniemi conference, the President of Finland stated that life itself was on the line..“If we lose the Arctic, we lose the globe,” said the president. .“I cannot think of better partners than Finland and Canada to roll up their sleeves and start working together on this.”
