Politics of the Climate Crisis
From Common Energy UVic
From theory to practice and from the individual to the international the politics of the climate crisis can be difficult to get a hold of. This page is designed to map out this political terrain so that we can begin to situate ourselves and effectively shape the flow of events.
Contents |
[edit] General
[edit] Canadian
[edit] The Parties
The CBC's Targets and Timetables describes the various positions of the Canadian political parties at the time the Conservative's plan was released.
[edit] Conservative
The Conservative government of Canada released their climate change plan in April of 2007. The plan targets a 20% reduction of C02e gases from 2007 levels by 2020. Under the plan, emissions are not projected to stabilize and begin to decline until 2010. This is much stronger than previous plan put forward by the Conservatives, the Clean Air Act, which would not have seen emissions stabilize for another decade. The plan would achieve emissions levels comparable to those committed to under the Kyoto Protocol by 2025, more than a decade late.[1]
The plan largely relies on intensity-based targets for emissions and the Conservatives are estimating that its measures will cost the economy between 7 and 8 billion dollars a year. While industrial emitters account for 60% of emissions they will only be asked to find 40% of the reductions.[2]
From the Globe and Mail:
"Companies not in existence today will have three years to meet greenhouse gas targets. The grace period has been instituted because the government says it takes a few years to get a plant running efficiently.
All other industries will have to begin reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 18 per cent, per unit of production, by 2010 and then by an additional 2 per cent in each subsequent year. Terms from today's levels by 150 megatonnes per year by 2020 — climbing substantially and then falling in the intervening years.
Of that 150-tonne drop, industry is expected to account for 60 megatonnes, fuel efficiency for cars and trucks is expected to account for 40 megatonnes, improvements in home fuel efficiency and other measures for 10 megatonnes, and the provinces will be responsible for eliminating the final 40 megatonnes.
Companies that have already made strikes to reduce greenhouse gases will be given a credit for their efforts. Those that don't meet the targets by 2010 will be penalized, but they will be given will be given several options for payment.
They will be permitted to buy carbon credits from other Canadians companies that exceed their targets or invest in other measures that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Baird says they will be able to trade certain credits through the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism even though the accord stipulates that countries that do not meet Kyoto targets cannot participate.
Or they will be able to invest in a technology fund that will finance investments in technology that could lead to reductions in greenhouse gas."[3]
The response to the plan has been largely negative from opposition parties and environmental groups.
- Canadians Aim to Miss Kyoto Targets - BBC report
[edit] Green
The central plank of the Green Party's policy is ecological tax shifting. Their GP2 contains a host of good ideas.
[edit] United States of America
With over a quarter of global emissions and only 5% of the population the path that the USA follows will have a huge impact on the overall trajectory of global responses to the climate crisis. In particular, it is difficult to imagine China and India agreeing to substantively reduce their emissions without American leadership, or at least compliance, in a global climate change regime.
[edit] Media
The New York Times has become a strong advocate for climate change regulation. The April 8th editorial, Hot and Cold, shows both care in explaining the recently released impacts report from the second Working Group of the IPCC, and an aggressive stance towards President Bush's lax approach.
