This is a Man Licks Dog story – good news from an unusual source that bears repeating: a release from the Pembina Institute, a Canadian non-profit think tank focused on energy.
… you might have missed B.C.’s 2014 Climate Progress Report. This is the sort of release time slot typically reserved for bad news that governments don’t want to draw attention to. Instead, while the Climate Progress Report has some controversial elements, it’s predominantly positive news that merits attention.
Making progress
Carbon pollution was reported to be six per cent lower in 2012 (the most recent data available) relative to 2007, when B.C.’s Climate Action Plan came into effect. This six per cent drop aligns with B.C.’s first interim climate target.
Just as important, government policy has helped achieve that outcome — and it has happened while encouraging innovation and economic growth in the province. This means that government policies — like the carbon tax and a ban on dirty coal-fired electricity — are working to reduce carbon pollution. …
Next steps?
As with its previous progress report, the government continues to be transparent about the need for stronger policies if B.C. is going to hit its targets. Without stronger policies, carbon pollution is likely to increase.
This year’s report goes further. It begins sketching out where the province should go with its next steps. You have to connect some dots and read between a few lines, but here are some examples of where the report suggests the province has something in mind for the next phase of its Climate Action Plan.
Plus this op-ed in The Tyee by Johua McNab of Pembina:
BC’s Climate Plan Is Working, so Why Stop Now?
We know the carbon tax is effective. We know the public wants it. Time to ramp up our efforts.
I don’t want a carbon tax without lowering taxes elsewhere. As such the statement ” the public wants a carbon tax ” is just completely misleading. Misleading, and conveniently ignored is the impact on citizens’ overall tax bill, energy bill or unemployment when one major variable is changed.
Everyone wants clean energy – who wouldn’t – but the price to get there is conveniently, or more likely deliberately, ignored.
What is the price in terms of taxes, higher energy bills, less jobs, higher unemployment and lower standard of living ?
The BC carbon tax IS revenue neutral – other taxes have been lowered to balance it. As such, the people who are paying more are those who are using more carbon and the people who are paying less are those who (obviously) are using less. Therefore, it’s a financial incentive to arrange your affairs so as to use less carbon.
Isn’t that the whole point?
Fair enough. But to reduce carbon further (for whatever politically motivated reason) gasoline taxes and/or even gas taxes on heating domestic hot water boilers have to be increased.
Perhaps we ought to ban ships coming here, flights from YVR or no more ferries to Vancouver Island ? or, as no one wants that, increase those vehicles operating costs with the result that all imported good get more expensive, less people fly and a trip to V Island costs even more ?
As stated, it is the consequences of these (well intended?) actions, i.e. reduce carbon result in unintended consequences usually not discussed.
I’ve seen figures that show the Carbon Tax is currently revenue negative (brings in less than the taxes it replaced) and some of the biggest carbon producers have special tax breaks allowing them to pay less now than before.