You know social change is happening when popular culture is well ahead of the politicians. This weekend, we had examples at all scales. Millions worldwide watched Live Earth, many taking pledges to reform their energy consumption. In Toronto, one of the hits of the Fringe Festival is The Inconvenient Musical, a heartfelt but hilarious singing / dancing riff on Al Gore’s famous movie. And climate change even made an appearance this week in that symbolic bastion of suburbia, the comic strip Hi and Lois. Typically, it was the kids who got it: Dot and Ditto made at least one connection between their own lives and the oppressive heat and flooding. Let’s ride our bikes to the beach, they decided, instead of driving.
If Dot and Ditto have figured this out, can Middle America and Stephen Harper be far behind?