Climate change is the…

Climate change is the biggest challenge we face as a planet. I have a two year old son – in 2050, he will be 34 years old. We are already seeing the impacts of a changing climate now, but it will be my son and his children, as well as thousands of other children, here in Canada and around the world, who will face the full impacts.

We will not be able to stop climate change – at this point, we will be dealing with the impacts even if all greenhouse gas emissions were eliminated immediately. But we have a responsibility, for ourselves and for the next generations, to do all we can to mitigate the damage. We need to transition away from fossil fuels –starting yesterday, but barring that, starting now.

The 2017 report from the Environmental Commissioner, Diane Saxe, was mildly encouraging. “It’s complicated, but Ontario is on the right track”, says the report – GHG emissions were down below 1990 levels (even with population and GDP growth), and the cap and trade system which put a price on carbon had functioned well in its first year. There was still more that could be done, but it at least Ontario was taking climate change action seriously.

By repealing cap and trade, without having first developed a new plan, the government is halting this progress. The 2018 Environmental Commissioner’s report on climate change makes clear the urgency of taking action. We still have a window, but that window is closing. The 2018 report provides a clear framework for what a climate strategy should do:

• Set clear, legally binding carbon budgets based on non-partisan, expert advice;
• Map out transparent, achievable, cost-effective pathways to each carbon budget;
• Implement policy tools to achieve the targets;
• Monitor progress and report to the public and;
• Include consultations with Ontarians at every stage.

The current Cap and Trade Cancellation Act repeals the cap and trade system without putting any plan in its place. While the act does direct the government to set GHG targets and create a climate plan, there are no specifics about what the targets should be, when the plan will be adopted, and or even the frequency of reporting required.

The result will no doubt be an increase in emissions, and wasted time while a new plan is created. If that plan does not put a price on carbon, it will not result in emission reductions. The vast majority of economists agree that putting a price on carbon is the fairest and most effective way to lower emissions.

Cap and trade is not a perfect system and there are legitimate reasons to argue with it – there are other ways to price carbon that may be fairer and less complex, like a carbon fee and dividend system, in which revenues from the carbon price are returned directly to taxpayers. But it is irresponsible to eliminate the cap and trade system without another plan in place.

We all try to do the best for our children. Investing in addressing climate change now is the most important thing we can do for them. The cost of action now will be far less than the cost of inaction.

I urge the government to reconsider the repeal of cap and trade, until a new climate plan to achieve our emissions targets has been developed.