Thank you to author of article: Tony Weis: Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario.  Tony is also author of: The Global Economy: The Battle for the Future of Farming

 

Seeing the Big Picture on Drive-Thrus and the Need to Start Somewhere

 

In the increasingly heated debate over whether or not the city of London should establish a moratorium on new drive-thrus, an advocate for the moratorium was recently told by a vocal opponent (a city counselor) that they had lost sight of the ‘bigger picture’ of jobs and economic growth. Advocates for the moratorium have also been criticized by some activists who suggest that prohibiting future drive-thrus is a marginal issue amidst so many other ‘bigger’ problems.

 

Conversely, the intensive public relations campaign led by Tim Horton’s has sought to narrow the discussion of the issue down to a claim – based on the report of a paid consultant – that drive-thrus are environmentally benign when compared with crowded parking lots. This spin is reminiscent of efforts by big oil companies to pay for scientific studies which, for more than a decade, helped to justify inaction on climate change.

 

And in classic ‘greenwashing’ style, this has been coupled with an appeal to people’s sense of entitlement. For instance, one radio ad evoked an image of a mother driving around with four children during a blizzard and therefore needs a drive-thru, with the implication that it is outrageous to suggest that people might be deprived of their right to fast food without leaving their cars. Another tactic of the drive-thru lobby has been to fear-monger that all drive-thrus could be closed, though this is not what is before Council. To this end Tim Horton’s packed the chambers for the June 17 Council discussion by paying employees for their attendance.  

 

For many reasons then, some ‘big picture’ context for this debate is sorely needed.

 

We – and here I’m grouping Canadians along with the US, as the consumption levels are similar – represent less than 5 percent of humanity that consumes over one-quarter of the world’s oil, and contributes to more than one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, of which carbon is the most significant.

 

According to the most recent Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme, Canada’s per capita carbon footprint is more than twice that of the average European, roughly five times greater than the world average, and more than 20 times that of many developing countries.

 

And this average world carbon footprint is already vastly too high, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC last year described the “warming of the climate system” as scientifically being “unequivocal,” based on evidence “from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level.” The report called for swift and dramatic emission reductions if the planet is to avert the most dangerous fallout.

 

If we place the average carbon footprint of Canadians in the context of the IPCC’s sustainable emissions targets, we need to make per capita emissions cuts on the order of 90 percent. A converse way of putting this is that if the rest of the world emitted at Canadian levels, we would need roughly nine more atmospheres!

 

Cars are a large part of this. In 2003, Canada had 561 passenger cars for every 1000 citizens, one of the highest levels in the world, along with very high levels of per capita mileage driven and oil consumed. In contrast, many low income developing countries have 20 passenger cars or less for every 1000 citizens.

 

The inequality of this picture does not end with uneven consumption. The IPCC has long drawn attention to the fact that there is a highly uneven vulnerability associated with climatic change, as many of the world’s poorest nations (and particularly the poorest people within them) will be most adversely affected by rising climatic variability, higher temperatures, and increasing risk of drought and water stress, with obvious impacts on food security and malnutrition. Sub-Saharan Africa faces some of the greatest risks, the immediacy of which cannot be overstated; the IPCC projects that “yields from rain-fed agriculture [which represents much of African agriculture] could be reduced by up to 50 percent by 2020.”

 

It is urgent that Canadians face up to our grossly outsized and destructive carbon footprint. Obviously, placing a moratorium on new drive-thrus in London is not, in itself, going to do this. It is a small part of many large changes that are needed in how our economy functions and how our cities are planned. But these changes need to start somewhere.

 

London already has 160 drive-thrus. Whether in blissful ignorance or conscious disregard, to continue to act like we are simply entitled to more – and by implication more urban sprawl, more cars, more oil, and more greenhouse emissions – constitutes a planetary arrogance of frightening proportions.

 

And let us be clear that this has nothing to do with jobs. Corporate fast-food chains do not create any more jobs than do independent, community-centered cafes and restaurants closer to people’s home and workplaces. Rather, they represent an approach to urban planning that is centered on oil and the primacy of the automobile.

 

The City of London has the opportunity to take a very important first step in overcoming this outmoded approach, and beginning to envision the future of our cities in a way that is denser, less resource intensive, and ultimately more in step with our responsibilities as global citizens.

 

In this, we could be very proud to see our elected councilors give London a leadership role on a Canadian scale.