May 6, 2019 - Economists tell us that the federal carbon tax will provide an end to the “externalization” of the costs associated with CO2 emissions. Environmentalists tell us that increasing the cost of carbon-intensive energy will alter consumer behaviour and “save the planet.” Politicians levy the tax and tell us that we’re all in this thing together.
Pollution from fossil fuels in Canada continues to grow by staggering amounts, with the oilsands sector alone responsible for more carbon pollution than all of B.C. or Quebec in 2017, says the federal government in its latest climate change report to the United Nations.
The newest edition of Canada’s National Inventory Report, covering data up to two years ago, shows that the oil and gas sector was responsible for 195 million tonnes, or megatonnes (Mt) of greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, up eight Mt from 2016.
Canada is not doing enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions despite mounting evidence the country is vulnerable to rapid warming, the outgoing federal Environment Commissioner warns.
In parting comments, Julie Gelfand criticized successive federal governments, saying their failure to cut emissions is “disturbing,” and urged greater action to tackle what she called one of the biggest challenges facing humanity.
The country’s top environmental watchdog also noted Canada is not on track to meet its climate-change targets.
The onslaught of extreme weather and the increasingly stark scientific assessment leave no doubt that we face an ecological and civilizational emergency. But in the year since the 23rd annual Conference of the Parties (COP23) in Bonn, Germany, a constant stream of headlines and reports have confirmed that governments are not on track to meet their climate commitments.
Dec 26, 2018 - We are being inundated with discount frenzy and it’s not just annoying, it could be life-threatening.
I’m not talking about the onslaught of huckster ads encouraging us to buy, buy, buy on Black Friday, or even today, Boxing Day. No, the truly crazy-making discount frenzy is the barrage of half-truths, misinformation and outright lies blaming Alberta’s woes on the so-called discount on Canadian oil. That’s some serious snake oil (aka propaganda) that is sabotaging our chance to keep the world habitable for our children.
The British Columbia government has recently made two big decisions that are pulling the province in opposite directions in the climate fight — approving LNG Canada and rolling out the new CleanBCclimate plan.
The British Columbia government has recently made two big decisions that are pulling the province in opposite directions in the climate fight — approving LNG Canada and rolling out the new CleanBCclimate plan.
BC’s new climate plan, Clean BC, is a big and visionary document and was instantly lauded by environmental groups and businesses alike. In this post, I recap the key components of the plan and do a bit of a reality check against the hype, in particular the challenge of fitting liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the plan.
Oct 2016 - Executive Summary Our planet’s climate crisis is intensifying, but many in industry, government and even the advocacy community have turned to market mechanisms to alleviate climate change instead of regulating the pollutants that cause it. These free-market approaches rely on putting a “price” on climate change-inducing emissions — such as imposing taxes on carbon — as an indirect method to reduce these pollutants. The Canadian province of British Columbia implemented a carbon tax on certain fossil fuels in July of 2008.
