Earth Equity News

The Environment Loses in Canadian National Elections. By Gary Mason, Toronto Globe & Mail, October 15, 2008. The environment was not a winning issue on this campaign trail... Watching closely, no doubt, was B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, who heads into an election of his own in the spring having to defend an unpopular carbon tax he has so far vowed to maintain... While many of the most respected climate-change scientists in the world believe taxing carbon is one of the surest and most effective ways to attack rising emissions, it would appear to be a zero-sum game for politicians trying to sell it. Both Mr. Campbell's and Mr. Dion's carbon-tax policies are designed to be revenue-neutral -- meaning the tax would have no impact on a person's pocketbook because it would be offset by income-tax cuts and rebates. But people don't believe it. It's like listening to politicians say they will never break a campaign promise. Public skepticism is legitimate. Second, solutions to climate change are often complex and not easily explained. Mr. Dion had trouble explaining his Green Shift himself sometimes, even in French, and if a politician doesn't sound convincing trying to sell a policy that includes a tax -- even if it's one designed to help save mankind -- opponents will exploit it and the electorate will say come back when you've thought this thing through a little. People have to be convinced it's worth the price. Despite last night's result, I still think Mr. Dion's desire to build an economy for the 21st century centred on energy independence and becoming a leader in green technology is precisely what Canada needs."