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HIGH HOPES FOR LOW EMISSIONS
Only a fool would say it would be easy. But some smart people say stopping climate change doesn't have to break the bank.
As long as we start early by introducing sensible yet aggressive policies and allow time for the market and society to gradually adapt, Mark Jaccard believes we could soon find ourselves living in a low-emissions future.
For an idea of what such an approach might look like, one need look no further than our own province, as B.C.'s new carbon tax is essentially the viewpoints of Hot Air put into action.
The new B.C. carbon tax was inspired in large part by Jaccard, a member of Gordon Campbell's Climate Action Team.
As one of nine members who contributed to the UN's Nobel-prize winning International Panel on Climate Change, Jaccard has also worked with the NDP and is fully aware of the political realities accompanying tangible action on climate change.
"No one should underestimate the political difficulties of imposing GHG taxes,"; he writes, "since high taxes of any kind, anywhere, are prime targets of outrage.";
Unfortunately, the right policy isn't often the most popular. So, looking for the bright side, at least the provincial government has been willing to court some unpopularity in order to face reality.
A former chair of the BC Utilities Commission, Hot Air co-author Jaccard received the Donner Prize for his book, Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy (Cambridge Press, 2005).
For information about BC's Carbon Tax go to: www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca
[BCBW 2008] "Environment"
As long as we start early by introducing sensible yet aggressive policies and allow time for the market and society to gradually adapt, Mark Jaccard believes we could soon find ourselves living in a low-emissions future.
For an idea of what such an approach might look like, one need look no further than our own province, as B.C.'s new carbon tax is essentially the viewpoints of Hot Air put into action.
The new B.C. carbon tax was inspired in large part by Jaccard, a member of Gordon Campbell's Climate Action Team.
As one of nine members who contributed to the UN's Nobel-prize winning International Panel on Climate Change, Jaccard has also worked with the NDP and is fully aware of the political realities accompanying tangible action on climate change.
"No one should underestimate the political difficulties of imposing GHG taxes,"; he writes, "since high taxes of any kind, anywhere, are prime targets of outrage.";
Unfortunately, the right policy isn't often the most popular. So, looking for the bright side, at least the provincial government has been willing to court some unpopularity in order to face reality.
A former chair of the BC Utilities Commission, Hot Air co-author Jaccard received the Donner Prize for his book, Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy (Cambridge Press, 2005).
For information about BC's Carbon Tax go to: www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca
[BCBW 2008] "Environment"
Submitted on September 5, 2008 in By David.
