In our last blog titled GIANTS OF JORDAN ON EARTH DAY, we concluded by saying, “…Which brings us full circle, back to today being Earth Day, and how critical it seems that without peace, it is increasingly difficult for us to focus our attention on what most of us understand to be the existential threat all of us face, which is the climate crisis. Just imagine what 8 billion humans could accomplish if we all worked together and respected each other.”
In June and July, the World Cup came to North America…in the lead up, the president of FIFA (Gianni Infantino) presents Trump with some made up peace prize to curry favour. But FIFA’s fawning didn’t stop there…fast forward to the round of 32, where the United States is playing Bosnia and Herzegovina…the US wins but one of their top players is given a red card, meaning he must sit out the next match in the round of 16 versus Belgium. Now, I watched Belgium a few times and while on paper they have a strong team, they were sputtering and had not yet found their rhythm. Trump is told that the US needs this player (Folarin Balogun) to play in the game against Belgium, so he picks up the phone and calls Infantino and tells him that he needs to find a way for Balogun to be eligible for the match. Infantino has the red card overturned and the outrage begins. Leading up to the World Cup, the United States had been doing everything wrong…visitors were worried about getting caught up in some ICE dragnet…people weren’t sure they would be welcomed…but once the matches began, most things were going smoothly (aside from the stupid decision to force the Iranian team to practice and hotel in Mexico and then travel to the US stadiums for their games and then have to immediately return to Mexico), until Trump interferes. It was suggested by an American sports writer that “Balogun, his coaches and teammates could always decide he shouldn’t play. Think how righteous a win that could be. And how honorable a loss. If he plays, it’s tainted no matter the outcome. Balogun needs to sit this one out. If FIFA won’t do it, US Soccer must. If we can’t beat this average Belgium team without him, we don’t deserve to move on. And if he plays - whether or not we win - it’s now tainted by the stench of Trump and Infantino’s corruption…once sporting integrity is lost, especially when the corruption is this blatant, you can’t get it back.” As it turned out, the United States team was sent packing and was humiliated in front of the sporting world, and so was Trump. To these eyes, the US team looked completely uninterested in playing…you had to feel sorry for the US players and particularly Folarin Balogun, all of whom were put in a very uncomfortable position by Trump. It was as if the whole episode distracted the US players. As Mary Geddry said, “Sometimes Karma Wears Cleats”.
Most of the games have been a joy to watch…particularly when a low ranked team (minnows as the British announcers refer to them) plays one of the world’s giants to either a draw in the first round or to extra time and penalty kicks in the knockout rounds…teams like Cabo Verde…FIFA likes to say that ‘football brings the world together’, and in a way over the last few weeks, there have certainly been many eyes on the matches taking place in Canada, Mexico and the USA. If international sporting competition can indeed be a force for countries to find common ground…if all those fans in the stands, at watch parties or on TV get a better understanding of and appreciation for a whole bunch of their fellow human beings, maybe, just maybe, some of the conflict that we see happening in so many parts of the world can be rightly judged to be unnecessary, immoral and unjust…being conducted by a select group of arrogant leaders whose grip on power will be more tenuous as their citizenry come to recognize that ‘those people’ aren’t much different than themselves.
“The hate of men shall pass, and dictators die; and the power they took from the people will return to the people.” – Charlie Chaplin – The final monologue in the 1940 film, The Great Dictator.
Most of the matches have been played out in extremely high temperatures and as such FIFA have mandated hydration breaks at the half way point of each half. Thousands of people are dying from the extreme heat in Europe, including Spain, while wildfires are claiming more victims. There was a minute of silence before the Spain/Belgium quarter final match for the victims of the wildfires in Spain.
One of the good things of note that happened at the World Cup - Norway showed that sport can also be used to help people. The Norwegian Football Federation donated the proceeds from its World Cup qualifying match against Israel to humanitarian aid for Gaza. The money will support emergency work through Doctors Without Borders.
“We cannot and will not be indifferent to the humanitarian suffering that is taking place in the region, especially the disproportionate attacks against civilians in Gaza.” – Erling Halland – Norwegian Captain
In keeping with the football (soccer) theme, we feel it is appropriate to award Red Cards (given for the most serious offences, including using excessive force or brutality against an opponent, or attempting to physically harm someone), to those who are most actively engaged in furthering to bring harm to either our planet or to our fellow inhabitants.
Red Cards for their ceaseless military assaults should be given to Putin, Netanyahu and Trump (there are certainly another handful who deserve a yellow card at the least).
Red Card for the pipe dreams to Premier Smith for understanding what the burning of fossil fuels is doing to the planet and ourselves...the world boils today, with people dying from the heat and while wildfires are burning again across the country but she is still seriously talking about building another pipeline to the BC west coast. With little interest from the oil and gas private sector, looks like it will be all of us who are going to end up funding the tens of billions of dollars to build it. (Yellow card for Carney - guilt by association).
Then just last week we heard Premier Smith and Premier Ford (not sure he even understands the rules), talking jubilantly about their plans to run an oil pipeline from Alberta to Sarnia, Ontario.
“Build fossil fuel pipelines that worsen the climate crisis, or build a people and nature centred future powered by renewables.” – David Suzuki Foundation
The climate crisis manifests itself in so many different ways:
- The burning of fossil fuels is raising the temperatures throughout our Earth which is causing serious issues that we can only imagine.
- Blistering heat waves that are literally killing people and animals.
- Unpredictable weather patterns bringing dangerous high intensity winds and rains, bringing down trees, causing excessive flooding and higher frequency of tornadoes.
- Wildfires that burn through parched forests threatening communities, forcing evacuations and bringing unimaginable stress for all involved.
- The escalating temperatures of the oceans contributing to larger and more fierce hurricanes.
If we want more extreme heat…build the pipelines.
If we want more unpredictable weather…build the pipelines.
If we want more raging wildfires…build the pipelines.
Building more pipelines requires increasing the production in the Alberta tar sands, but what about the innocent victims in northern Alberta, where the tar sands are located, where there are massive tailings ponds leaking carcinogens into the Athabasca River, where down river is the Fort Chipewyan First Nation, where six out of ten Mikisew Cree households have been touched by cancer?...a result of the water they drink and the fish they eat...but hey, the oil and gas companies' balance sheets keep the shareholders happy.
Speaking of the Indigenous residents of this country, any new pipelines will need rigorous consultation and approval to cross Treaty land. This is not a minor annoyance as some previously named Premiers seem to think. Don't be surprised if some of the pipe dreams aren't overturned. Perhaps we are at a crossroads...let's explore that in the next blog.
Canoe Foundation is an environmental peace organization defending nature and human rights while supporting justice and Indigenous rights as we seek peace with nature, each other and a safe, healthy and green future.
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The image from The Great Dictator courtesy of the Charlie Chaplin website.
