• Climate change is one of…

• Climate change is one of the most urgent matters of our times. It is essential that we face up to this reality NOW, NOT LATER! The recent IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report claims that, “an extra single degree of heat could make a life-or-death difference in the next few decades for multitudes . . .”
• Specifically, I am concerned about issues with rising ocean levels, which would create enormous refugee problems and therefore widespread destabilization of many nations; food security issues; and a serious rise in costs dealing with damage from more frequent adverse weather conditions (along with rapidly-rising insurance costs).
• Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Romer says that, “This crisis can easily be averted through economic policy.”
• Therefore I would like to see Ontario remain with the cohort of pro-active jurisdictions that employ some form of carbon pricing. This need not be a “tax grab”; note, for example, that the tax -and-dividend arrangement in BC is revenue neutral. In fact, a recent article from the Canadian Press (Sept. 26, 2018), reported that “Carbon Tax would leave most Canadians with more money”.
• Having a tax on carbon is an important incentive for industries to develop renewable energy solutions.
• Please note that Sweden implemented a carbon tax in 1991. The price of this has risen over the years; the country’s emissions have decreased by 26%, without negatively affecting the economy.
• I am aghast at the prospect of Ontario having to pay a large fine for pulling out of the cap-and-trade agreement that had previously been agreed to regarding carbon dioxide emissions.
• Cancelling the current cap-and-trade deal would be a moral, environmental and economic disaster.