It is very sad that the…

It is very sad that the Ontario government summarily cancelled the ‘cap and trade’ program without offering any other mechanism to curb carbon emissions. In this age of rapidly accelerating environmental degradation it is essential to put a price on pollution, and to invest heavily in the generation of clean energy. Government imposition of a tax on major CO2 emitters is not something to be sneered at. The economist William D. Nordhaus—a 2018 Nobel laureate—has shown that carbon taxes are indeed the most efficient way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Moreover, Ontario does not have the oil and natural gas resources needed to fuel our economy. We have probably already developed our major hydroelectric opportunities, which leaves wind and solar as the only obvious options. If places like Texas, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany and Scotland can make major investments in wind and/or solar energy, surely we can too. Instead, our government cancelled a wind farm project in Prince Edward County—a facility almost completed. We are moving backwards instead of into the future. Regrettably, we are moving further away from energy self-sufficiency.
Now is the time for Ontario to set progressive, achievable goals that will enable us to profit from the coming green economy, and compete with the world leaders in renewable power production. Stop all subsidies/grants to fossil duel companies. We should be seriously aiming to be 100% powered by clean energy within the next 20-30 years, and simultaneously promoting the manufacture of state-of-the-art solar panels and wind turbines here in Ontario. Otherwise we will be left behind, and then really have to scramble to catch up with the 21st century world.