Why a Carbon Fee and Dividend now makes more sense than ever for Canada
If the federal government wants to rescue its agenda of market-based climate incentives, it should realize that complexity is the enemy of transparency.
If the federal government wants to rescue its agenda of market-based climate incentives, it should realize that complexity is the enemy of transparency.
We can envision how Canada might shift to an electricity system which is inherently decentralized and democratic but still provides efficient and reliable services to a wide range of users.
The government’s refusal to meet the terms of the Human Rights Tribunal ruling reminds us that Canada’s economy systematically devalues Indigenous life.
History is replete with examples of botched public-private projects which left governments on the hook for high costs and for losses, and public agencies do have the capacity to make good decisions.
For Ontario to meet its goal of transitioning towards a decarbonized society it needs a carbon price alongside more technology and sector specific policies. There are still some unanswered questions regarding how Ontario will ensure these latter policies are comprehensive and effective.
Truly massive public and private investments will have to made in research, in energy conservation and in the production of renewable energy over the next few years if we are to meet and exceed the goal recently set in Paris to stop to avoid global temperatures from rising by more than two degrees.
If we recognize the overlaps between different sectors, drawing dichotomies between “green” and fossil fuel jobs are unhelpful. We really need to think about how our existing set of skills and resources can be leveraged to build a low-carbon economy.
What countries that have got their emissions under control have is a well-institutionalized process for integrating the monitoring of emissions trends and the policy making process, and to develop real-time policy adjustment in the face of evolving emissions trends.
It is crucial that Canada’s INDC provides a serious, quantifiable strategy for reducing oil sands emissions — either by curtailment of future expansion, or through improved extractive and refining efficiencies.