October 20, 2009
1 Comment

Canadian Industry Leaders Call For Carbon Caps

by Chris Hatch

Some of the leading player in Canadian industry are calling on the federal government to set hard, declining caps on global warming emissions in a statement released today.

The industy leaders include: Catalyst Paper Corporation, Direct Energy, Dow Canada, DuPont Canada, ENMAX, Royal Bank of Canada, Rio Tinto, Spectra Energy and the Toronto-Dominion Bank.

The Pembina Institute brought the companies together with environmental groups to identify key elements of a national “cap-and-trade” system. Highlights of a joint statement released on Pembina’s website appear to include preemptive moves against fears that the Conservative government’s soon-to-be-unveiled plan will have critical flaws i.e.: that it may cover as little as half of Canada’s emissions sources, it may implement only “intensity” as opposed to actual reductions,” it may allow growth in oilsands emissions needing to be paid for by other regions, and allow massive “offset” loopholes. The statement says in part:

The cap and trade system should place an absolute, national cap on covered emissions. Having sectors with different cap types (i.e. absolute and intensity) could create equity issues….

The cap-and-trade system should cover as much of Canada’s emissions as possible from the outset
of the program….

The whole thing is downloadable here.

Email This Post Permalink Share This

One Response so far...

  1. Barry Saxifrage says:
    October 22, 2009 at 10:00 am

    Yes, it’s true. The “free lunch” counter really is closing soon folks.

    This is yet more evidence that society is now accepting what for years the climate has been making clear is non-negotiable — that massive fossil fuel cuts are required now.

    The game is shifting rapidly to a power play over who is going to have to cut back on dirty energy, by how much, and just how quickly.

    Major corporations, and whole industries, are waking up to the nasty and looming threat they face to their biz if they are forced to to take on the burden of other corporations’ and industries’ share of reductions. The bull elephants are starting to fight over what is clearly a shrinking water hole. Some want it all to themselves.

    It’s going to be ugly if political leadership doesn’t hammer out rules that require everyone to cut back fairly in real terms.

    There are a few industries in particular that can only grow by forcing their share of the carbon burden on others. Think tar sands, coal and even airlines. Groups like this are the ones insisting they get to live with “intensity targets” while everyone else will need to make actual cuts. Well, guess what? The other national and global corporations and industries are starting to say “No way”.

    This is also playing out at the provincial, national levels. Will most provinces have to even bigger real cuts so Alberta can keep its emissions growning and its dirty industries in go-go mode? Will other industrial nations have to make even deeper real cuts so Canada can stay spewing double the EU amount per person? With the USA abandoning their “intensity only” stance and saying they are ready for real cuts…and with USA emissions falling 9% in the last two years…it leaves hyper-carbon growth Canada looking very exposed. We are a small elephant to be trying to hog the water hole folks.

    It is even starting to appear at the personal level where social criticism is growing around high climate damage lifestyle choices.

    More and more people at all levels are realizing the reality that absolute carbon cuts are coming soon to their biz and their lives. With that realization comes the cold hard fact that if others are able to continue big carbon excesses then you will be forced to make much bigger cuts to carry their burden for them.

    Using our failing ecosystems as a sewer for our many tonnes per person of eco-toxic climate litter is a tragedy that is going to be ramped down soon. There are not any livable alternatives.


Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment. Not a Member? Click here to register.