The United Nations…

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has once again issued a dire warning in the latest global climate change report, citing severe consequences to humanity and the planet should we not act to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions within the next 12 years. Governments have failed to act on this, perhaps the most serious issue of our time, for the last half century. Now we have 12 years to make a difference. That's it. Less than our lifetimes, less than that of our children. The time to act is now and this action needs to use all available tools and tactics to help us meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stemming global temperature rise to at or below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Using all the tools and tactics available to us means leveraging tools like cap and trade systems, and carbon taxes. Nobel prize-winning economist, American William Nordhaus, has advocated that one of the most economically efficient ways of avoiding catastrophic climate change is to employ a wide tax on greenhouse gas emissions. Nordhaus has argued that such a tax is how we will get the most benefits for the least cost.

Ontario began the journey into a cap and trade system and was already noting the financial benefits and it also inspired industry to seek creative ways to shift business practices towards more environmentally-friendly and less emissions-heavy means of operation. Ontario needs to continue to employ cap and trade systems and even consider carbon taxes in order to shift our society and economy towards one that will be more resilient and sustainable in a time of a changing climate.

I urge the Government of Ontario to not cancel the cap and trade system for the sake of cancelling programs of the previous government. In the new Government's climate change plan, we need to employ both cap and trade and carbon taxes, amongst the vast suite of other tools and tactics at our disposal, to act now to prevent the tragedy of climate change. While the financial cost of these programs will be felt in the short-term by Ontarians, I assure you, the long-term benefits of clean air, clean water, clean land, and a stable climate (without increases in severe weather and the devastation that that causes) will be seen as worth it by Ontarians.

Do not cancel the cap and trade program. Do not discount the benefits and merits of cap and trade, carbon taxes and other mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stem global temperature rise. I urge the Government of Ontario to consider and employ all of these tools and tactics to help Ontario and Ontarians build resiliency and positive action in the face of global climate change.