Alison Gu Goes Political With Her Climate Struggle

Alison Gu knows that politicians must make decisions now to save humanity. So, at age 24, he became one.

Gu won a seat on the Burnaby city council in a fall election by a wide margin campaigning for climate, housing and traffic justice. She is already making life better.

This piece is part of a series of 57 profiles highlighting young people across the country who are tackling the climate crisis. These extraordinary human beings give me hope. I write these stories to pay for them.

Tell us why you ran for Burnaby’s council.

There is a tendency to assume that the higher you move up in government or industry, the more influence you have. I have supported provincial and federal politicians and that work is really important. But the complexities at those levels, plus the tendency to work in silos, can thwart change. Municipal bureaucracies can be more agile once decision makers see that they have public support. Together, municipal governments are responsible for up to 40 percent of Canada’s emissions. We can use regulatory tools on buildings, public transportation, parks, emergency response, water quality, housing, and local economic development as levers for a safe and healthy future.

He’s only been in office for a few months. Has it had any impact?

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I think so. I made a motion to my first council meeting that all Burnaby decisions on climate change include an equity perspective, support reconciliation and be based on nature whenever possible. It happened in my second meeting. I also persuaded my colleagues to ask staff to tell us how they will apply an equity perspective to planning and construction department rates. Working cooperatively with others has given Burnaby improved lighting at traffic stops, reduced traffic for bicyclists, and safety for pedestrians. I am also proud that due to a series of conversations I had with TransLink (Metro Vancouver’s public transportation company), additional important improvements will be prioritized for Burnaby residents.

I am committed to supporting measures such as more planting of trees and native species, rain gardens, and surface permeability. All of these have multiple benefits, including increased cooling shade during intense heat, flood prevention, and carbon sequestration. I have lobbied to ensure, where possible, that these improvements benefit the low-income areas that need them most, even if it might require a little more support from the city to irrigate and care for the plantations. My goal is to improve the lives of Burnaby residents while mitigating or adapting to climate change. I’m also looking forward to using existing levers, like zoning, to make housing more affordable and more. It’s very exciting.

What attracted you to this path?

I remember a conversation with my grandmother when I was about six years old. I told him I wanted to be prime minister. She calmly responded by asking what would allow me to do that. He knew that she was taking the bus and that sometimes she had to wait a long time in the rain. I told him I would have more buses. My orientation has always been to improve people’s lives, so I studied kinesiology at university. But after taking a course on the weather, I realized that all the healing power of healthcare wouldn’t matter unless we deal with that crisis.

Then I was in a car accident and suffered recurring concussions. I was very isolated as I struggled to rest my brain and keep my scholarship, which required very high academic performance. My identity had been based on my accomplishments and began to fade as I could do less. I felt close to death. To survive, I learned to focus on my values ​​and what was most important to me. I realized that I have a strong sense of justice and I value community. If he wanted to prosper, he had to defend those values. I spent three months cycling from Ottawa to Burnaby to draw attention to the negative impacts that the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline will have on my hometown and to raise funds for indigenous peoples to defend their lands against the project. I ran for the council to improve people’s lives and advocate for my community against climate change.

What are the roots of your values?

My grandmother was always very grateful to live in Canada. He felt that his life was more than 10 years longer and much better to be able to leave China. She taught me to use my life to pay for her good fortune and mine to help other people have better and longer lives, no matter where they lived.

Do you have any advice for other young people?

Think about what annoys or angers you and funnel it into developing skills to make things better. The climate justice challenge needs you regardless of your area of ​​focus.

What would you like to say to older people?

Avoid the tendency to see young people as inspiring because they are disinterested. We are motivated by our desire for survival and well-being. Use your power, influence, and resources to lift up the youth in your life and drown out the doomsayers.