A personal letter from Chris Hatch

You can find yourself alone these days, watching the whales — one the most heartwarming displays of nature’s resilience and human goodwill. Not long ago, the spray of a humpback bursting from the Salish Sea would have sent every passenger scrambling to the outer decks, desperate for a glimpse of the leviathans at play.

It’s a sight I never saw as a child or a young adult. Hunted and poisoned almost to oblivion, today, the giants are back. Back in such numbers the locals see them on most crossings. Now, it’s mostly tourists rushing for a moment of awe and connection. Evidence you can see with your own eyes and smell on the salty air — briny proof that we can live in harmony with this beautiful world.

Your support for Canada’s National Observer is so important right now, because you and I are living at an inflection point. There is proof all around of our ingeniousness and our capacity for care. Yet the world is fractured and violent, while our machines spew a thickening blanket of heat-trapping carbon into the sky.

This year was the hottest on record. Fires, temperatures, storms and drought are spiralling beyond anything human civilization has ever survived.

Our politics are angry and riven with lies. Politicians like former U.S. president Donald Trump and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre have momentum, trumpeting a nasty, planet-wrecking triumphalism, even as temperatures soar.

The humpbacks survived and returned to thrive because we recognized the point before there was no return. Now, at this systemic inflection point, each of us must find our own ways to push back, and choose where to join ourselves to larger efforts to protect the planet for the next generations.

Your support for Canada’s National Observer is one of those larger efforts. Together, we uncover disinformation and corruption. Your donations and subscriptions shine a light on solutions, while ensuring there’s a spotlight trained on the causes of climate breakdown.

Thanks to your support, Canadians get news about the climate crisis they simply wouldn’t otherwise. Together, we’re exploring what’s working and exposing the forces and people holding us back.

Please donate today to Canada’s National Observer's year-end fundraising campaign to raise $125,000 by December 31.

Chris Hatch

Zero Carbon columnist