Asking the Big Questions

Oil and gas-related royalties, as well as investments in research, exploration, and the development of oil and gas infrastructure, direct and indirect employment (as in other provinces such as Alberta), and related remittances of wages to the province had, by 2015, come to play a large role in government revenues and the provincial economy. [...] Core underlying themes are: 1) the urgent local and global need to address the threats and challenges associated with climate change; 2) some of the evidence for and discussion of the negative consequences of oil dependency and life in a petroculture for this place and for the earth globally; and, 3) the (missed) opportunities for sustainability, viability and equity we can and must make the focus [...] Angela Loucks-Atkinson and colleagues in Memorial’s Human Kinetics and Recreation Faculty have collaborated with Kathy Hawkins from Inclusion NL and members of the disability community to write a manifesto on the meaning and some ways to achieve a society that achieves and benefits from the inclusion of all of the diverse groups in NL including people with disabilities – a group that, to varying d [...] It will require changes to the taxation system, the related redistribution of wealth, and the creation of a different kind of food system where we can all, young and old, rich and poor, gain access to, prepare, and ultimately savour and draw strength from the fruits of a healthier environment. [...] In this chapter, we provide a brief overview of climate science basics, outline the impacts of climate change globally, explore direct impacts on Newfoundland and Labrador, and Asking the Big Questions | 9 emphasize that indirect global aspects of climate change will likely pose the largest challenges and risks not only to the province, but also to the rest of Canada and indeed the planet.