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Study Cautions: Stop Burning Canadians’ Money to Warm the Planet |
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Written by Wire Services
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Monday, 29 May 2006 |
Canada’s federal climate policy has done little or nothing since 1990 to reduce the economy’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a C.D. Howe Institute Commentary released today. Continuing with the now-defunct policy would have cost at least $80 billion over the next 35 years — but without reducing GHG emissions, says the report.
Findings in the report caution that for 15 years, Canadian governments relabeled greenhouse gas policies without changing strategy: governments offered information and subsidies to encourage voluntary emissions reductions, while avoiding substantial restrictions or charges for emitting GHGs. Canadian emissions have since grown by 25 percent, outstripping all emission targets and commitments offered by past governments.
In spite of the evidence that Canada’s policies were not shrinking emissions, the previous government’s “Project Green“ represented more spending on the same ineffectual information-and-subsidy approach. While continuing with “Project Green“ might have persuaded Canadians we were taking action on climate change, we would be “burning our money to warm the planet,“ writes the research team.
What to do if Canadians really do want to shrink GHG emissions? Burning Our Money’s authors canvas options, such as a gradually increasing tax on emissions or a gradually tightening regulated emission limit, to encourage technical improvements as plant and equipment is replaced over time. Another option: broader “cap-and-trade“ mechanisms, such as the one that has improved management of North America’s sulphur dioxide output.
The authors say international evidence suggests that these policies are likely to be effective in reducing GHG emissions over the coming decades.
Participants in the study included Professor Mark Jaccard of the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, and Nic Rivers, Christopher Bataille, Rose Murphy, John Nyboer and Bryn Sadownik, researchers with the Energy and Materials Research Group at the School. |
