Carbon pricing effective in lowering greenhouse gas emissions

By Letter to the Editor on December 3, 2018.

Not everyone with a conservative political background is against a price on greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon taxes or cap and trade systems. Preston Manning, past leader of the Reform party, and Jim Dinning, past Alberta treasurer under Progressive Conservative governments, are on the advisory board for the Ecofiscal Commission. This commission was formed by a group of experienced economists from across Canada and is fully independent from any political party.

The commission’s research concludes that “carbon pricing is the most practical and cost-effective way to lower greenhouse gas emissions while encouraging low-carbon emissions.” They also state that climate change is already taking a toll on the Canadian economy, which will only get worse, and that recycling of carbon tax revenues to lower-income households, via rebates, ensures these households are not unduly affected (as is done in Alberta).

The commission also rebuts the claims of Andrew Scheer (Conservative Party of Canada leader) and Doug Ford (Progressive Conservative premier of Ontario) that “carbon pricing is an ineffective tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and constitutes open warfare on Canadian families and businesses.” This is done in an article on their website (ecofiscal.ca) entitled “If you’re a Conservative who opposes carbon pricing, are you really a conservative?”

In this article two of their key points are the lack of an action plan by Conservatives to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon pricing is the only true market-based approach to reducing emissions rather than reducing through specific subsidies. Their research also shows that carbon pricing systems (all in place five years or longer) in British Columbia (with small impact on the economy), California, and the United Kingdom (both with no measurable effect on the economy) have been effective in reducing greenhouse emissions.

The commission does not review or comment on the Australian carbon tax that was in place only two years, July 2012 to July 2014. This tax was ineffective, with little investment from the public or industry in greenhouse gas reducing technology because the longevity of the tax was uncertain. This uncertainty was due to the government opposition party pledging to repeal it when the tax was implemented in 2012, which it did in 2014 when elected.

The Ecofiscal commission has a very user-friendly website (ecofiscal.ca) with many articles and short videos that explain their findings. The public is encouraged to review and to “share your views.”

Denis Hoffman

Medicine Hat

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