France Leans Green

Anne Hidalgo was re-elected as mayor of Paris on Sunday © Julien de Rosa/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Many countries around the world have taken a political shift to the right in the past couple of years, choosing so-called Strong Man leaders. Not surprisingly these men -- they are nearly always men --  are usually weak and ineffective despite the bombast and claims to be saviours working on behalf of the people. Too often ordinary citizens are worse off under these regimes. And they have a tendency to adopt policies which are environmentally destructive, often reversing or weakening legislation which protects other species and lands where Indigenous peoples live. During the pandemic the Emperor Trump has gutted environmental protections developed over decades.

I was encouraged to see that France has elected a surprising number of unicipal candidates from the Europe Ecology party in what some are called a Green Wave in major cities.In Paris, Mayor Hidalgo has been a longtime anti-car crusader and while some hated her policies she was reelected. Whatever the eventual outcome, this shows that French citizens are increasingly committed to environmental solutions to problems facing the nation and as a result the national government of Emmanuel Macron is paying attention.

For a long time Green parties in different countries, including Canada, have been viewed as being on the fringe. Even when voters consider their policies worthwhile they choose more traditional parties rather than "waste" their ballot. In the last federal election I voted Green for the first time because I felt that the party platform reflected many of my sensibilities both as a concerned citizen and as a Christian committed to caring for Creation.

I believe that every person of faith must make personal lifestyle choices to mitigate harm to the environment. At the same time I'm convinced that unless governments at every level develop strategies to mitigate the climate crisis we are in deep trouble. A vote is a form of prayer, in my estimation, so I'll be "praying" green whenever it makes sense.