Compliments of Big Fracking.
Month: January 2016
Climate Denier Trump’s First Ad: Take the Oil
Can we all agree what climate denial’s first priority is?
Economists, Like Scientists, Agree on Climate
You’ve heard about the 97 percent. Did you know about the 95 percent (of economists?)
Dana Nuccitelli in The Guardian:
In the 2015 survey, the number of expert economists saying that the US should cut its emissions no matter what rose to 77%. A further 18% said that if other countries agree to cut their emissions, the US should follow suit. In other words, there is a 95% consensus among expert climate economists that the US should follow through with its pledges to cut carbon pollution in the wake of the Paris international climate negotiations, and more than three out of four agreed that the US should take action to curb global warming no matter what.
This expert consensus is in stark contrast to conservative political opposition to the Paris accord. For example, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said of the agreement,
This kind of unilateral disarmament in our economy is reckless, and it is hurting the American Dream
Continue reading “Economists, Like Scientists, Agree on Climate”
Oil Rich Alberta’s New Carbon Tax
You may be aware that the “Texas of Canada”, Alberta, recently had an election, and that the results were roughly equivalent to Bernie Sanders being elected Governor of the Lone Star State.
One of the first things the new administration did, was institute a tax on carbon. With the support of Oil companies.
Should be interesting.
On Sunday November 22nd, 2015, Alberta’s new centre-left Premier, Rachel Notley, announced that the province would be introducing an economy-wide carbon tax priced at $30 per tonne of CO2 equivalent, to be phased in in 2016 and 2017. Observers had been expecting new efforts to mitigate emissions since Notley’s election in May 2015, but the scope and ambition of this policy took many by surprise.
Alberta, of course, is the home of the Athabasca oil sands and is one of the largest per-capita GHG emitters of any jurisdiction in the world. The new plan was nevertheless endorsed by environmental groups, First Nations and by the biggest oil companies, an extraordinary consensus that many would not have thought possible.
How was this done? I will try and explain the new policy as far as I can (the details are not all available yet), but the short answer is that a huge amount of credit is due to the panel of experts led by University of Alberta energy economist Andrew Leach and his fellow panelists. Not only did they listen to what all Albertans had to say, but they were thoughtful in framing a policy that is acceptable to almost everyone.
The background
Alberta is the wealthiest province in Canada, with a population of 4.1 million. In 2013,greenhouse gas emissions were 267 Mt CO2 equivalent, about 65 tonnes per capita, which compares with the average for the rest of Canada of about 15 tonnes. Among US states only North Dakota and Wyoming are worse. Alberta’s fugitive emissions of methane alone amount to 29 Mt CO2e, about 7 tonnes per person, which is a little more than the average for all GHGs per-capita emissions in the world.
