Climate change isn't just warming the globe and causing crazy weather -- it has also cranked up the public's interest in the environmental movement.

"Our phones are ringing off the hook," said Ian Bruce, climate change specialist at the David Suzuki Foundation in Vancouver.

Bruce said his group is receiving many more calls and e-mails than ever before from citizens and reporters wanting to know about climate change issues.
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"We are getting a lot of support and offers to help out with our work here," said Bruce. "It's certainly uplifting. And it's something that has changed."

Environmental groups say it's difficult to gauge the impact of climate change concern on fund-raising. But local activists say the number of people contributing time and money to green causes has jumped over the past year.

Sierra Legal Defence Fund executive director Robert Mitchell said his group's donor list jumped to 30,000 Canadians last year. "Whether this is because of climate change it's hard to say, but we have included our work on climate change in our fundraising appeal."

Mitchell said the number of large donations is also on the rise. "We are seeing more $10,000 and $25,000 donations than ever before."

Mitchell said fear of global warming prompted a large American foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, to give his group money for the first time. The Hewlett grant is being used to explore legal issues related to the tar sands projects in Alberta.

Greenpeace Canada executive-director Bruce Cox said his group expected to have a deficit in 2006 but now is looking forward to a surplus.

Cox said Greenpeace canvassers are finding that people are willing to spend more time with them on the doorstep.

And it's not just regular people who have more time for environmentalists -- so do politicians. New Conservative Environment Minister John Baird called Greenpeace's Cox on the day he was appointed to his new portfolio.

"The government is reacting to public opinion and that is democracy," said Cox.

Baird also visited David Suzuki and Sierra Legal's Mitchell when he was in Vancouver recently.

The membership roll at the Western Canada Wilderness Committee has jumped from 22,444 in 2001 to 30,000 last year.

WCWC executive director Andrea Reimer said the increase is probably due more to concern about the B.C. Liberals than over climate change.

Nevertheless, the WCWC has been hit by the rush of concern about climate change.

"I got over a dozen e-mails today about global warming. I went out to lunch today with someone who wanted to talk about global warming. It's all global warming all the time."

Reimer said the pace of work at WCWC typically slows down at the beginning of the year, but this year, January has been a busy month because of its climate change campaigns.

WCWC is the Canadian organizer for The Step It Up 2007 campaign, which is urging people across North America to organize rallies in their communities on April 14, to demand action against climate change.

Sierra's Mitchell said many Canadians now have more confidence in environmental groups than in government when it comes to climate change policy.

While environmental consciousness has been cyclical in recent decades, he added, the issue is unlikely to peter out given that the effects of climate change are likely to get worse.

"People are going to have constant reminders that something is askew," he said.

dward@png.canwest.com

© The Vancouver Sun 2007