GEOG 101: Day 18

Climate Change (cont’d)

Housekeeping Items

0A reminder that the Avenues for Action conference is this Saturday. It’s free with lunch provided in 355. For more information and an opportunity to register, see http://studentblogs.viu.ca/avenuesforaction/schedule/.

0LCAs are due next Thursday.0I talked to the chair of Chemistry and he

thinks that the models on ocean acidification are sound, so it must have been another prof.

Housekeeping Items0From what I can tell BC’s carbon tax infrastructure is still in

place, though Christy Clark has talked about getting rid of it (she did, however, sign a recent carbon agreement with Washington, Oregon, and California in October 2013: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_24406734/california-oregon-washington-and-british-columbia-sign-climate).

0BACKGROUND (in report by “Sustainability with Prosperity”)0 • On 1 July 2008, BC brought in North America’s first carbon

tax shift. It imposed a price on the use of carbon- based fuels, with all the revenues going to fund corresponding cuts in other taxes • The tax is a central component of BC’s climate change strategy, which aims to reduce GHG emissions by 33 percent below 2007 levels by 2020.

Housekeeping Items0BC’s carbon tax shift was designed to be “revenue

neutral”; all the revenues are to be used to reduce other taxes – mainly through cuts to income taxes (personal and corporate), as well as targeted tax relief for vulnerable households and communities – resulting in no overall increase in taxation • When introduced in 2008, the tax was initially set at $10 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). It was designed to rise by $5 per year thereafter until it reached $30 per tonne (roughly 7 cents per litre of gas) in 2012.

Housekeeping Items

0THE REPORT’S KEY FINDINGS ARE THAT: • Since the carbon tax took effect (July 1, 2008), BC’s fuel consumption has fallen by 17.4% per capita (and fallen by 18.8% relative to the rest of Canada). • These reductions have occurred across all the fuel types covered by the tax (not just vehicle fuel) • BC’s GDP kept pace with the rest of Canada’s over that time • The tax shift has enabled BC to have Canada’s lowest income tax rates (as of 2012). • The tax shift has benefited taxpayers; cuts to income and other taxes have exceeded carbon tax revenues by $500 million from 2008-12.

Housekeeping ItemsStewart Elgie, Professor of law and economics at University of Ottawa, and the report’s lead author, says:

0 “BC’s experience shows that it is possible to have both a healthier environment and a strong economy -- by taxing pollution and lowering income taxes.”

0Canada’s premiers met from July 24-26, 2012 to discuss a proposed Canadian Energy Strategy which includes “a more integrated approach to climate change”. Elgie commented: “I hope that BC’s success will inspire Canada’s premiers to show leadership on a national approach to pricing carbon pollution.” It seems that that has not been the case.

Housekeeping Items0We didn’t get to finish the slides and we kind of rushed

through the last few. I would like to go back to them and have some related discussion and exercises.

0 In addition to talking about concrete exercises, I would like to do a role play modeling an international conference on climate change solutions. I will break you into four groups: 1) Canada and the U.S.; 2) China; 3) developing countries most affected by climate change, and 4) leaders in renewable energy (Sweden and Germany, etc.). Your job will be to first determine what your position would be at an international conference and why? Prepare a short speech for everyone. Give your speech. Offer rebuttals to what you hear, and then offer what would acceptable solutions for you.