Stop complaining, take action against heat wave

Recent smog alerts have prompted some cities to enact measures to encourage people to take more responsibility for the conditions.

The city of Laval, for example, is continuing an initiative which was enacted in 2008 to charge one dollar bus fares. The objective is to get people out of their cars and onto buses, hopefully contributing to less air pollution during smog alerts.

Locally, buses are well air-conditioned in the summer and yet, regional roads are still clogged full of cars with people going about business as usual. If people were seriously concerned about the heat, as their complaints suggest, why are they getting in their cars that have been baking in the sun all day?

The point is individual actions matter and doing things out of habit — like driving every day — simply won’t cut it.

Additionally, municipal governments should be making efforts to assist people during the heat wave. Local pools should have “free swims” instead of charging rates for seasons’ passes like Moses Springer does.

While heat waves aren’t new, the quality of air associated with them and our role in contributing to the air quality is much more evident than before. We need to make a concerted effort to recognize that our global emissions are simply not sustainable for our environment or our future.

—The Cord Editorial Board