MONTREAL – In the midst of an intense heat wave hitting Montreal today, Greenpeace Canada activists are out on Mont-Royal Avenue with their “Chill Your Heatwave” bike, serving free vegan ice cream to offer a refreshing perspective on these extreme temperatures. Activists highlighted the fossil fuel industry’s leading role in driving these extreme temperatures and demanded fossil companies to pay into a Climate Recovery Fund for fueling climate disasters.

“Every scoop of ice cream we serve today is a call to action. Big Oil’s decades of deception have led us to this scorching reality – a warmer planet is inflaming extreme heat. As the primary driver of climate change, the fossil fuel industry is dangerously controlling the thermostat”, said Salomé Sané, Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace Canada. “To truly cool down, and address the impacts of heatwaves and other climate disasters, we need a new Climate Recovery Fund that will provide support and resources to communities. 

As 2023 has already been recorded as the hottest year on record, the question of how to adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis is now more burning than ever. In Quebec alone, extreme heat results in nearly 500 deaths per year and, sadly, as the climate warms, even more extreme and frequent heatwaves such as this one can be expected. A 2023 analysis also predicts that by 2050 extreme heat in Canada could cost between $3 billion and $3.9 billion per year due to heat-related deaths and reduced quality of life. 

The climate crisis is knocking at all of our doors, and especially affecting those who are the least responsible for its causes but the most vulnerable to its impacts, including Indigenous and Black communities, People of Colour, populations with preexisting health conditions, people experiencing homelessness, and low-income households.

“Unless we hold Big Oil accountable, all of us will have to foot the bill,” said Sané. “What we need is a new Climate Recovery Fund, financed by the fossil fuel industry, to help communities prepare, respond, and adapt to these extreme weather events.”

Today’s event, featuring designs from Montreal’s Martha design studio, is more than just a way to beat the heat; it is a call to action to make Big Oil pay for the damage it has caused.

ENDS 

Notes to editor:

Photos of the activity are available on the Greenpeace Media library. More will be uploaded throughout the day.

For more information please contact:

Laura Bergamo, Communications Officer, Greenpeace Canada [email protected] ; +1 438 928-5237