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British Columbia

Saturday September 14, 2024

September 14, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Many political leaders, once champions of carbon pricing, are now abandoning their principles and pandering to populist pressures for electoral gain, sacrificing crucial climate action in the process.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday September 14, 2024

Here is an animated version of this editorial cartoon

Carbon Pricing Abandonment – Politics Over Principle, and a Failure of Leadership

Both Bonnie Crombie and Pierre Poilievre's opposition to the carbon tax raises questions about their alternative plans for addressing climate change, leaving voters to wonder: if not a carbon tax, then what specific measures do they propose to tackle this urgent issue, if any at all?

March 22, 2024

Carbon pricing has long been hailed as a critical tool in the global fight against climate change, a market-based solution designed to reduce carbon emissions and incentivize cleaner energy alternatives. For years, progressive leaders in Canada like Bonnie Crombie, David Eby, and Jagmeet Singh stood firm on the value of carbon pricing. But now, faced with political pressures and the looming threat of populist rhetoric from Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s “Axe the Tax” campaign, these same politicians are backtracking on their once resolute stances. This shift reflects a larger, troubling pattern of political pandering that prioritizes short-term electoral gain over long-term environmental responsibility.

David Eby, for instance, once a steadfast advocate for carbon pricing in British Columbia, is now promising to eliminate the provincial carbon tax for everyday British Columbians—provided the federal government drops its own requirements. This reversal is deeply disappointing for a province that was once a trailblazer in implementing a carbon tax. As B.C. Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau aptly pointed out, Eby’s pledge is nothing more than a “carbon tax flip-flop,” exposing a lack of coherent climate policy and a willingness to sacrifice principle for political expediency.

News: B.C. will scrap consumer carbon tax if Ottawa drops requirement

Fossil fuel industries receive $5 billion annually in federal subsidies, while funds circulate through taxes and rebates in a carbon pricing scheme—a stark yet realistic facet of the green transition.

Tuesday April 2, 2024

The same holds true for Jagmeet Singh, who has recently begun distancing himself from carbon pricing, despite its prominence in the NDP’s platform as recently as 2021. In a move that reeks of political posturing, Singh’s comments criticizing both the Liberal and Conservative approaches to climate policy hint at an NDP retreat on this critical issue. As one reader comment from The National Observer suggests, this shift reveals a leader more concerned with not alienating potential voters than standing up for what is right. Rather than defending carbon pricing as an essential measure to combat climate change, Singh seems more inclined to let the Conservatives set the agenda, leaving progressives scrambling to salvage credibility on the environment.

Even the Biden-Harris administration in the U.S., once a beacon of environmental ambition with its backing of the Green New Deal, has shown troubling signs of retreat, particularly around fracking and carbon policies. While they have avoided outright carbon pricing initiatives, their recent stance on energy policies reflects the same political dilemma faced by their Canadian counterparts: how to balance the urgency of climate action with the fear of losing voters beholden to fossil fuel interests. Kamala Harris, for instance, has softened her previously strong stance on fracking, a clear indication that political survival is beginning to outweigh environmental conviction.

April 21, 2021

At the heart of this issue lies a glaring failure of leadership. Politicians like Eby, Crombie, and Singh have been swayed by Pierre Poilievre’s populist rhetoric, which frames the carbon tax as an economic burden rather than a climate solution. His ability to simplify a complex policy into an easy-to-chant slogan like “Axe the Tax” has resonated with a population grappling with inflation and rising living costs. But this is where true leadership should shine: not by succumbing to the winds of populism but by standing firm in the face of it. Instead, these former champions of carbon pricing have chosen to follow the crowd, leaving a leadership vacuum at a time when bold action is needed most.

News: Carbon tax’s future uncertain as Parliament returns

As one commenter in The Toronto Star notes, the Liberals’ communication on carbon pricing has been abysmal. They’ve failed to effectively articulate how the tax-and-rebate system benefits most Canadians, particularly those in lower-income brackets. Mark Carney, a seasoned economist, has criticized the lack of consistent environmental policy and pushed for a stronger approach, yet even his advice seems to be falling on deaf ears as the Liberals falter in the polls. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s recent defence of carbon pricing, while admirable, underscores the Liberals’ struggle to convey the policy’s long-term value. Guilbeault rightly challenges Poilievre’s lack of a meaningful climate plan, but without stronger messaging, the Liberals risk losing not only the policy debate but also the political battle.

The federal government, led by Justin Trudeau, is making changes to its climate policy, which primarily benefit Atlantic Canada. These changes include increased rural rebates and exemptions for home heating oil from the carbon tax. This has generated mixed reactions and debates.

October 28, 2023

It’s not just about carbon pricing—this is about the abandonment of principles in favour of pandering to the lowest common denominator. We’ve seen this before: when the political stakes are high, some leaders would rather compromise their core values than risk losing power. But the climate crisis demands more. As one frustrated citizen remarked, “I lament the day when there was a solid middle that was willing to make tough choices based on real principles in the name of a better future.” This is the tough reality that politicians like Eby, Crombie, and Singh need to face: leadership is not about appeasing critics, it’s about guiding people to make difficult but necessary decisions for the greater good.

News: Carney interested in ‘doing something, not being something,’ he says of adviser role

Trudeau's unwavering support for carbon pricing in the face of opposition underscores its essential role in Canada's climate action, contrasting with Pierre Poilievre's lack of a credible alternative, emphasizing the imperative for pragmatic solutions in confronting the urgent threat of climate change.

March 14, 2024

It’s clear that Poilievre and his allies have tapped into a vein of discontent that resonates with Canadians struggling to make ends meet. But the solution to rising costs is not to dismantle the very policies that aim to mitigate one of the greatest threats to humanity. As Carney said, the carbon tax has served a purpose up until now, but the time may come for a more effective plan. The answer, however, is not to abandon carbon pricing altogether but to find a way to make it work better—for the economy, for the climate, and for Canadians.

If progressive leaders in Canada and beyond continue to abandon the climate cause for political expediency, they will have missed a crucial opportunity to lead. The climate crisis will not wait for the next election cycle, and neither should our leaders. It’s time for them to stop following populists and start leading with vision, integrity, and courage. If they fail to do so, the consequences will be far greater than the loss of a few votes. They will have sacrificed our future on the altar of political convenience. (AI)

 

Posted in: Canada, Ontario Tagged: 2024-16, animated, axe the tax, Bonnie Crombie, British Columbia, Canada, carbon pricing, climate change, climate crisis. carbon tax, David Eby, Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Ontario, Pierre Poilievre, principle

Friday November 19, 2021

November 19, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, (Not published in The Hamilton Spectator) – Friday November 19, 2021

Capitalism is killing the planet

There is a myth about human beings that withstands all evidence. It’s that we always put our survival first. This is true of other species. When confronted by an impending threat, such as winter, they invest great resources into avoiding or withstanding it: migrating or hibernating, for example. Humans are a different matter.

4 Waves Cartoon

When faced with an impending or chronic threat, such as climate or ecological breakdown, we seem to go out of our way to compromise our survival. We convince ourselves that it’s not so serious, or even that it isn’t happening. We double down on destruction, swapping our ordinary cars for SUVs, jetting to Oblivia on a long-haul flight, burning it all up in a final frenzy. In the back of our minds, there’s a voice whispering, “If it were really so serious, someone would stop us.” If we attend to these issues at all, we do so in ways that are petty, tokenistic, comically ill-matched to the scale of our predicament. It is impossible to discern, in our response to what we know, the primacy of our survival instinct.

Here is what we know. We know that our lives are entirely dependent on complex natural systems: the atmosphere, ocean currents, the soil, the planet’s webs of life. People who study complex systems have discovered that they behave in consistent ways. It doesn’t matter whether the system is a banking network, a nation state, a rainforest or an Antarctic ice shelf; its behaviour follows certain mathematical rules. In normal conditions, the system regulates itself, maintaining a state of equilibrium. It can absorb stress up to a certain point. But then it suddenly flips. It passes a tipping point, then falls into a new state of equilibrium, which is often impossible to reverse.

Human civilisation relies on current equilibrium states. But, all over the world, crucial systems appear to be approaching their tipping points. If one system crashes, it is likely to drag others down, triggering a cascade of chaos known as systemic environmental collapse. This is what happened during previous mass extinctions. (Continued: The Guardian) 

November 19, 2021

Atmospheric rivers of the kind that flooded British Columbia and renched California in recent weeks will become larger — and possibly more destructive — because of climate change, scientists said.

Columns in the atmosphere hundreds of miles long carry water vapour over oceans from the tropics to more temperate regions in amounts more than double the flow of the Amazon River, according to the American Meteorological Society.

These “rivers in the sky” are relatively common, with about 11 present on Earth at any time, according to NASA.

But warming air and seas around the globe causes conditions that scientists said will make them hold more moisture, causing extreme precipitation when they make landfall, often on the west coasts of North America, South America and Western Europe.

Because of climate change, atmospheric rivers are projected to become slightly less frequent, but more intense, according to a 2018 study led by researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“There may be fewer, but they are going to be lasting longer, and more intense,” Vicky Espinoza, an author of the NASA study who is now a graduate student at the University of California Merced, said.

Atmospheric rivers will become about 10% less frequent by the end of this century, but about 25% longer and wider, the study found. That will lead to nearly double the frequency of the most intense atmospheric river storms. (Continued: CTV) 

 

Posted in: Canada, International, Lifestyle Tagged: 2021-39, atmospheric river, British Columbia, Canada, capitalism, climate change, environment, money, profit, profiteering, Science, Tourism, wealth, yacht

Friday November 19, 2021

November 19, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday November 19, 2021

From fire to ‘atmospheric river’: Why B.C. is trapped in a world of climate extremes

The past few months will not soon be forgotten in Merritt, B.C.

August 13, 2021

During a record-smashing heat wave that devastated British Columbia this past summer, its population of more than 5,000 people endured temperatures reaching 44.5 C. Soon after, it was racked by drought conditions and was the subject of an evacuation alert because of nearby forest fires. And on Monday, an evacuation order for the entire B.C. Interior city was issued in the face of epic flooding.

These climate-change-fuelled extreme weather events are connected: With intense heat comes wildfires, and with wildfires come changes to the soil and vegetation that can exacerbate the effects of heavy rainfall.

Similar scenes played out across B.C. Other communities that have suffered extreme flooding and landslides include Princeton, Abbotsford and Hope.

Bridges were washed out, and numerous highways were cut off in both directions by multiple mudslides and flooding. Some stranded motorists were evacuated by helicopter. At least one person has died.

It’s all because of heavy rainfall from a phenomenon known as an “atmospheric river.” They occur commonly throughout western North America, but this one has dumped atypical amounts of precipitation throughout the region.

According to preliminary Environment and Climate Change Canada data, 20 communities across B.C. experienced record rainfall for a Nov. 14, including Abbotsford, Langley, Nanaimo, Vancouver and Victoria. Though the final tallies aren’t in, for some communities those are historic records.

November 10, 2021

“Abbotsford and Hope had their wettest days in their record-keeping,” said Armel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada. “It’s certainly above a 50-year return period, and actually over 100 in many locations.” (A 1-in-100-year event has a 1-per-cent probability of occurring in any given year – that is, exceedingly rare.)

Recent research has shown a rising trend in atmospheric rivers making landfall on North America’s West Coast in recent decades. As the world continues to warm, they’re expected to become even more frequent and more intense.

“It’s so important to point out the role that climate change plays in these kinds of events,” said University of British Columbia climate scientist Simon Donner.

An atmospheric river is an intense and narrow band of moisture-laden air commonly associated with mid-pressure cyclones that bring heat and moisture from the tropics to the poles. They’re a bit like high-altitude air currents, such as the jet stream, except they’re concentrated in the first several hundred metres above the Earth’s surface.

They’re long (more than 2,000 kilometres), narrow (up to a few hundred kilometres wide) and can be up to a few kilometres deep. According to a Journal of Hydrometeorology study cited by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the passage of an atmospheric river over a coastal site takes on average 20 hours. (Continued: The Globe and Mail) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2021-39, atmospheric river, British Columbia, Canada, climate change, coat of arms, extreme weather, floods, forest fires

Friday April 19, 2019

May 3, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 19, 2019

Historic result for PEI Green Party could mean bigger things coming

For the first time ever, the Green Party has risen to Official Opposition status in a Canadian province.

October 23, 2002

The party, led by Peter Bevan-Baker, won eight seats in Prince Edward Island in a vote that saw the Progressive Conservatives form a minority government under premier-designate Dennis King.  The Tory’s won 12 seats.

“It’s a historic night, and a big breakthrough for the PEI Greens,” says Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, “I think it’s really an indication, the fact increasingly more and more voters want to see a new way of doing politics.”

“I think Greens bring a fresh voice and a new perspective, and really a desire as much as possible to work across party lines to solve some of the big challenges that we face.  And do it in a way that puts people first, that puts good policy ahead of party.”

May 31, 2017

He says in the past, people thought success for the Greens were more of “a west coast thing,” alluding to federal leader Elizabeth May, who is MP for a riding in British Columbia, as well as three MLA’s holding seats in the BC legislature.

And then with members holding three seats in New Brunswick’s provincially, some were thinking it was a west and east coast thing.

But with Tuesday’s vote, along with Schreiner’s own successful election bid in Ontario last October, he says we’re seeing a “green wave starting to build across the country.”

Now, what could this mean for future elections?

October 14, 2015

Schreiner says we could see our first indication of it during the fall federal election, and even in the next Ontario election in 2022.

He indicates there were five “high quality” people seeking the Green Party nomination in Guelph last year, along with contested nominations in Waterloo Region.

And he is already fielding calls from people interested in running in the next provincial election. (Source: Kitchener Today) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2019-15, Andrew Weaver, British Columbia, Canada, David Coon, flag, Green Party, Mike Schreiner, New Brunswick, Ontario, paint, Peter Bevan-Baker, Prince Edward Island

Wednesday April 11, 2018

April 10, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 11, 2018

Kinder’s Pipeline Pause Puts Pressure on Trudeau to Act, Somehow

Justin Trudeau has a lot riding on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. But the Canadian prime minister has few viable options to save it.

June 27, 2013

Kinder Morgan Inc. halted most work on the project Sunday, ramping up pressure on the federal government to somehow deter provincial opposition and protests from environmentalists before a May 31 deadline. Trudeau’s energy strategy is at stake, along with overall business confidence and the price of Canadian oil landlocked in neighboring Alberta.

His problem is that opposition from British Columbia has been mostly talk, leaving Trudeau essentially in a war of words that’s been enough for the Houston-based company to warn the uncertainty has become too great. Trudeau’s team backs the pipeline and flatly promises it will be built, though with the project already approved its options are few beyond trying to cajole the Pacific coast province.

June 8, 2017

“The consequence of their indirection has created a problem of certainty for the proponent. That problem is real,” Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said Monday in an interview at his Ottawa office. “We will look at every option available to the government of Canada — financial, regulatory, legal.”

Shares of Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. fell 13 percent Monday, the biggest decline since its initial public offering last May.

While cross-border pipelines are under federal jurisdiction, provinces have asserted themselves in recent years, muddying the outlook and allowing new challenges to pop up. In this case, British Columbia’s New Democratic Party government — whose razor-thin command of the provincial legislature relies on support of Green Party lawmakers — has dug in its heels. (Source: Bloomberg) 


Published in the Western Star, Corner Brook, Newfoundland

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Posted in: Canada Tagged: Al Gore, Alberta, Bill Nye, bitumen, British Columbia, Canada, climate change, David Suzuki, energy, green transition, Justin Trudeau, Kinder Morgan, oil, pipeline, resources, tearsheet, Trans Mountain, two-faced
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