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6; . . .. w ................. usingdemogmphicstohelpoursocietyfimc- donbetterorplan forde Inpartiwlar,recentdevelopmentswould sumvm’mnmdomgaverypodjobof looking after our aging population. In the meanfimgacensusxeportdfsweeksayswe nwybemnnmgputofworketstohelpcare foroklerOntarianswhoaIepoisedtorefirein thenextdecade. Welmowhawmanypeoplearebomeach year,howmanydie.hownmnyimmigrateto miscountJyâ€"wenhawmanymavefrom oneprovincetodleother. Itshomdbeeasy to paintapictute of what our populationwill looklikeevendecadesfiomnow Unfortunately, inthe samewaywe might find ourselves needingbifocals or hankering for a nap in the afternoon, this change sneaks uponusSoonwedisooverwehavesooresof elderly people who need to be cared for and not enough people or moneytodoit. Theproblemwashighlightedlastweekby HealthMm'sterGeorgeSmithermarfsdismal attempt at humour when confronted with thefacteldedypeopleinnursingmmesam fomedtositinéoileddiapersbecausemeteis not enough stafito change them. Mr. Smith- emlanofieredtotestoutfllediapershimself aspartofhisresearchmtotheproblem globalwaxming. AfieralLsinoehumansmuse globalwanningby'bumingtoo mudlfossilfuelssuchasooalmiland gasaswellasdestroynannaleoosys- terns that absorb and store carbon, it’suptoustofixit. Buthene’sthegoodpart: mostof the technologies needed to usher in a clean and sustainable future are already available. Ofoourse, soumesofenergywe’vecometo relyonsoheavilyisnoeasyfeat It requires big effort. Even better, many of these tech- nologies are being developed right here in Canada By supporting innovative solu- tions, we can phase out the older polluting forms of generating energy that contribute to global wamiing and thus create a cleaner world. These innovations will create new jobs and bOOSt our economy. For too long. the environment and economy have been treated thnn 400 words and must Include a daytime t number. name and The Sun-NMncreservu the right to publish or not and to edit r chr- lEITERS POLICY The Sun-Tribune welcomes your letters. All submissions must be less We need to learn how global warming works (Dubbed by some as Furidus George for m I07 lmuonOymg.com Itylnd Ipace s on o n IA l Help citizens grow old with dignity herehasbeenalot oftalk mCanadalatelyaboutme need to develop technologl- cal innovations that address Imam MEDIA Manna; In Advertising Dawna Andrews dandmusfigyrmgfiom EDITORIAL Editor Jim Mason jmasonOyrmg.mm as two separate solitudes, but they aren’t. We am protect and conserve the environment and have a vibrant economy. ButfirsLbearwithmeforalittle climatechange 101. In order to put reasonable, practi- cal solutions in place, we have to understand how global warming works ‘Not all scientists agree when certain things will happen. but most scientists agree on the basic mecha- nism that is warming our planet. It’s really pretty simple Heat from the sun comes down through the Earth’s atmosphere and some of it bounces back into space. The atmosphere acts similar to a cozy blanket, thanks to certain atmo- spheric gases that act as a layer of insulation to hold some of the heat But, over the last several centu- ries, as the Industrial Revolution has taken place, humans are burning more and more fossil fuels to meet our energy needs Thanks to our cars and factories, we have released more of these heat- tIapping gases than the biosphele can Ieabsorb sotheybuild up and thicken the heat-trapping blanket of the way he dealt with health-care providers who insisted their hospitals were underfundâ€" ed. perhaps he should stick with that persona â€" Humorous George somehow doesn't cut it.) MI. Smitherman’s lack of a sense of umouxaside,'it’sha1dtoknow,mtreseamh ismqlfired.Hewouldorslmuldhlowstafiing levelsand‘howmany peopleneedcane. He should have a plan to tackle this problem, which will only get worse in the ensuing decadesâ€"ouragirrgfeflchifimnsandhow we look afier each Other. In short, he should consulthisdemographers . Nooneisimmunefromdieravagesofage Premier Dalton MoGuinty and Mr. Smither- man will be old some day, too. Fortunately for them, their parliamentary pensions will meantheywillbeabletoafimdprivatecareif dwyhavediflicultyintheiflgoldenyears". But othersMflmtanddeservebetteLIt’sasimple matterofdignity. ‘ mdleshértei'temuheyshomdbeworried bythefanelderlypeoplestillhavetheri'ghtto voteandtendtodosomlalgenumbem lfmeyminkmepmvinoetowhfl) they havepaidmnsofdmusandsofdollarsin taxestoovermeyeaxsdoesmhaveaplanto helpmemmfileirokiagefileymightadjust meirbifomlsandstartlooldngaromdfora govemmentthatdoes. Teambeadcr Ann Campbell amlele. mm Anvmmsmc Retail Manager Stacey Allen sallenOyrmg.oom 'SumfiW-‘l'ribune PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot GZQOMSL W,ON.L4A 1G7 David Suzuki Mth Faisal Moola insulation around the Earth Human land use practices, such as the destruction of tropical rainfor- ests, also release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The heat builds up, the globe warms and the atmospheric balance that keeps the climate stable is disrupted Global warming is more about a mechanism that gets destabilized and broken, such as a thermostat that goes hayw1re. It doesn’t work the way it should and this results in extmme weather effects around the globe. Assistant Classified Manger Bonnie Rondeau bmndmuOyrmg.mm Pnonucnon Robcnlazurka 10hr: Futhey Burm- nl Cum m. Damon. Ann-Tulsa You: Known PRINTING Debora Kelly M “mu 3. Dummmou GENERAL MANAGER .. Mun-m Rnrrv Rlnrlr Bob Dean ADVERTISING 905â€"640â€"261 2 (ilauificd: 1-800-743-3353 Fax: 905-640-8778 Aswenowknow, aooordingto the UN’s blue-ribbon panel of scientists who studied global warming, it’s hap- Pening right DOW "Ran of the warmest years on record have occurred since 1980. Scientists have closely observed the results of this thickening blanket and corresponding rise in giobal temperatures The effects are impossible to ignore: rapidly melting glaciers and ice caps, warmer temperatures, stronger storms, and even the migra- tion of tropical diseases, animals and plants into temperate regions The loss of Canada’s boreal wilderness? The disappearance of Canadian icons such as the polar bear and caribou? Scientists tell us this could very well happen if global wamiing continues unabated due to personal and political inaction to seriously tackle the problem. There is broad agreement global warming results in more negative b Take the Suzuki challenge at www.davidsuzuki.org DISTRIBUTION 905-640-2612 905-640-2612 ‘x: 905-640-8778 EDITORIAL A York Region Media Group community newspaper The Sun-Tribune. published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metmiand Media Group Ltd., a whoiiyowned subsidiary oiiorstar Corporation. Metroiand is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes The Liberal, sewing Richmond Hill and Thornhiii, Vaugian Citizen, The Era-Banner (Newmarket/Aurora). Markham Economist Sun. Georgina Advocate. York Region Business Times. North of the City, yorkregionoom and York Region Printing. Dumcron, Cncuumou Lynn Pashko Barry Black consequences than positive ones. 'Suhfi-Tribune So,thebestoourseistomake practical choices that reduce the drivers of climate change. We all need to meet the chalâ€" lenge directly to ensure against the worst outcomes And we can do this through innovative technology. This brings me back to my origiâ€" nal point. We don’t have to wait for some brilliant inventor to create an Earthâ€"shattering technological wonder. Several years ago, the David Suzuâ€" ki Foundation released POWBI' Shift that showed with technology already available, Canada could [educe its gneenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 per cent over 30 years. For example, we could increase the average fuel efficiency of today’s automobiles, one of the world’s major sources of heat-trapping gases There is already a great deal of momentum around the wofld. Japanese automakers are required to improve the fuel eificiency of their vehicles by 20 percent by 2015. "Ibgether, we can make Canada a global warming problem-solver, not a problem-maker.