Topic
Canada should subsidize renewable energy options such as wind and solar power in order to increase the share of renewables in Canada’s energy balance.
Introduction Canada government subsidizes a number of socially beneficial services, including health care, education and energy services. Subsidies to the energy sector mainly are for oil and gas production, however, they are not all socially beneficial[figure 1]. In fact, they have negative impact for the environment and hinder developments of environmentally friendly alternative energy options. Indeed, Canada’s implementation of the Kyoto Protocol is seriously threatened by continued government support for oil and gas production, a sector with large and rapidly
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However, it can also be problematic because it confuses an end (goods and services valued by consumers) with a means (labour)[3]. Increase in energy price will cause price distortion and result of inefficient production in the market, it tend to reduce consumers and producers’ net benefit, and it lead a higher production cost to domestic goods, which will become more costly to compete in the world market.
Policy Implication In case to shift Canada’s energy balance toward renewable energy without externalities, we need government’s actions. One possible way is to raise tax on the amount of carbon emitted to the atmosphere. If taxes are appropriately calculated, they can help raise the marginal costs of producers of non-renewable energy to equal the social and environmental costs that their activities create. Countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Finland, Switzerland and the Netherlands have already adopted carbon taxes[3]. Sweden, for example, raises US$1 billion per year from its carbon tax and approximately US$10 billion per year in energy taxes, some of which is part of a “tax shift” that goes to help develop renewable energy[3]. Paul Anderson, the CEO of a major carbon-dioxide emitting power company in US, he said “reducing greenhouse gases has become a worldwide political and social imperative… It is an imperative where American
We once lived in a world lush and plentiful where we enjoyed all the natural resources peacefully. However at the beginning of the industrial revolution more people moved to the cities therefore increasing their dependency load. Fastforward to today and the world has seen a drastic change in the loss of natural resources as well as a number of health related illnesses like asthma. This is mainly due to the effects from carbon pollution, greenhouse gases and global warming. Canada as a country is thought of as environmentally aware and progressive. Actually has many issues regarding this topic and if it is not taken care of it will affect the future of the nation. I care about this topic because it has to
Investments on green infrastructure and clean technologies will be done. With this planned, a subsidies of $2 billion Low Carbon Economy Trust to fund projects that reduce carbon, implement the G20 commitment and phase out the large gifts for the fossil fuel industry. While working with the provinces and territories, they plan to develop a Canadian Energy Strategy to protect Canada’s energy security, encourage energy conservation, and bring cleaner renewable energy into the electricity grid. Over the five years, Justin Trudeau plan to give $2.65 billion to help poor countries fight climate change. The global leaders are planning a financial-plan at the Paris conference that will determine how much will be spent. To combat climate change, G20 countries are estimating that $453 billion subsidizing their fossil fuel industries. It is estimated that the amount of money to be spent on climate change will increase
This year we have seen more electric and hybrid vehicle startups than ever before.” (Morrison) Nearly everyone recognizes the benefits of the shift, both in terms of how it would help our environment in the long term, but also the economic impact it would have, (reduced gas costs, lower electric and other utilities bills... etc.) But still, many large companies work to impede the progress in favor of maintaining our dependence on fossil fuels. The American Petroleum institute has worked with many oil industry protection companies to stymie the renewable energy movement, even in some cases, “posing as environmentalist groups in order to attract the support of environmentalists while simultaneously pushing their anti-renewable agenda.” (Blankenhorn) Many of these companies striving against renewable energy also support the building of the Keystone pipeline, using the justification that the building of the pipeline would lower gas prices. But what they fail to acknowledge is the basic economic fallacy of this, “Fossil energy prices are not going to fall. The more you remove carbon-based resources from the ground, the more it costs to get more.”
The reason this question has to be answered is simple, Canada sits at a very important junction in its evolution; does it continue to push forward to become an energy superpower or does it let the environmental conversation win, pushing forward instead with a clean energy agenda? This essay will hopefully drive this conversation forward.
Stewart Elgie, a University of Ottawa law and economics professor and chair of the green economy think-tank Sustainable Prosperity suggests that British Columbia’s per-capita fuel usage had fallen more than 4 per cent compared with the rest of Canada and its economy (Ebner, McCarthy, 2011) Evidently it is reducing the amount of green house gasses emitted by fossil fuel use. However this is not the concern many had with the introduction of the tax, but the concerns were focused upon the externalities caused by this and the effects it would have on the economy. Three years since the carbon tax introduction and the Provincial level of GDP has remained approximately the same, (Greenery in Canada: We have a winner) With the provincial level of GDP remaining around the same, this suggests that at the very worst the carbon tax has had no negative effects to the provincial economy. Furthermore the tax also promised to remain carbon neutral and promised to cut corporate and private income tax. British Columbia has become the province with the lowest income tax regime and the lowest corporate tax regime (Greenery in Canada: We have a winner). Although the carbon tax is being praised by many, it still faces concerns as many still argue the ineffectiveness of the tax and what that means for the province.
For the last two decades, the increased use of fossil energy caused the environmental problems. The evidence of global warming, like drying rivers, extinction of species, melting of glaciers, became more often around the planet. The climate change became a threat to healthy environment and prosperity of humanity and wildlife, and the world community started searching for solution to combat climate change. In 2008 British Columbia introduced carbon tax on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reduce global warming. Starting from $10 per tonne of CO2, the price was increasing annually till it reached $30 per tonne in 2012. During that period British Columbia was reducing harmful emissions and improving economy comparing to the rest of Canada. However, since the price rise on carbon stopped in 2012, no improving changes in cutting emissions, economy, and overall quality of life have been noticed. In this essay I will persuade that British Columbia should continue gradually increase price on carbon tax to the level where it will significantly cut the use of dirty energy, provide enough investments into the green projects, and support low-income families.
In 2007, Canada’s industries saved 2.1 billion U.S. dollars of energy costs (2007). All these numbers show Canada’s efforts in general public utilities.
Canada has the potential to be a “sustainable energy superpower” due to the vast amount of resources it contains. It has a large landmass and diversified geography which can be used to produce renewable energy from such resources; watermill, wind, biomass, solar, geothermal, and ocean energy. Renewable energy is energy obtained from natural resources that are able to be naturally replenished within a human lifespan (Natural Resource Canada, 2014). Currently, fossil fuel burning is the major source of energy in Canada and although it can be re-used, the process is so long that it is considered to be non-renewable. Also, fossil fuel burning for coal, natural gas, and petroleum gas pollutes the environment with greenhouse gases on a large scale, causing global warming. Non-renewable energy is taken from sources that re available on Earth in limited quantity, likely vanishing within fifty to sixty years from today (Conserve Energy Future, 2014). Thus, it is important for Canada to invest their money on resorting to more environmentally friendly and renewable ways to make electricity. Being a developed country, Canada has the financial stability to purchase the technologies over time in order to produce renewable energy. In addition, many organizations and the government have taken a step to educate the society about issues regarding energy usage, and to create programs which conserve energy for the future. In the future generations, Canada will be able to generate sufficient
Canada is one of the biggest energy producer in the world. Currently Canada is ranked 5th in regards to its production of energy in the world. Canada’s energy policy, should revolve around the natural resources and their optimum use to produce cheap and clean energy, which should be environmental friendly. Our policy should be beneficial for all the Canadians living in different parts of the country and that the policy should not discriminate among the provinces. Canada is also the biggest consumer of the energy in the world, as it consume most of energy per capita because of the extreme weather conditions that it face. We need to keep ourselves warm and need to transport goods and people from one place to another. Canada 's energy policy should be sound and aggressive and be comprehensive. Generally world energy is produced using the fossil fuel, whereas in Canada we have adequate alternative energy resources such as wind power, tidal power, solar energy, hydro power and nuclear energy. Our energy policy should be developed to explore these resources.
Canada is one of the biggest energy producers in the world. Currently Canada is ranked fifth in regards to the production of energy. Canada 's energy policy should revolve around the natural resources and their optimum use to create cheap and clean energy, which should be environmentally friendly. Our policy should be beneficial for all the Canadians living in different parts of the country and that the policy should not discriminate among the provinces. Canada is also the biggest consumer of the energy in the world, as it consumes most of energy per capita because of the extreme weather conditions that it faces. We need to keep ourselves warm through the winter and have to transport goods and people from one place to another. Canada 's
Ontario has its own creative and effective strategies to combat climate change. One of Ontario’s goal is a low-carbon future. To accomplish this the province started making carbon reductions in 1990 and are on track to reduce carbon emissions by 15% in 2020, 37 per cent in 2030 and 80 per cent in 2050 (Climate Change Action Plan, 2017). Ontario’s target of reducing emissions by 6% was met on schedule in 2014 (Climate Change Action Plan, 2017). One of the reasons this has been made possible is because of Ontario’s investment in carbon reduction. For example, in 2015 Ontario committed $325-million payment to Ontario’s Green Investment Fund to support programs that help households and businesses implement
Electricity generation is Canada's fourth-largest source of greenhouse gas. When it comes to controlling the emission that comes from electricity generation; most provinces in Canada are already opting out of the coal phase to provide cleaner energy. The burning of firewood to create energy releases CO2 into the atmosphere thereby introducing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.therefore introducing approaches to electricity such as increasing the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources; connecting clean power with places that need it and modernising electrical system could bring Canada to its goal by at least 5% to 15%. New rules that help to control emissions from an electrical sector that is burning natural gases should also be implemented. the government Could also control greenhouse gas emission by mandating the carbon pricing policy. Carbon pricing charges industries and corporations that emit CO2 for their emissions. This limits their emissions by instituting a price charge and encourage companies and consumers from burning fossil fuel and find alternative ways that are efficient for their business. Carbon pricing has been known to be the best tool in reducing greenhouse gas emissions since most of the gases released into the atmosphere are carbon. Carbon pricing helps to fight climate change and it provides job opportunity in creating clean energy. the growing population is also a discussable topic in climate change that could be really hard to control due to the fact that as the population increases; the demand for products that release this toxic gases would also increase. The government could control this by finding alternative ways to produce these commodities without introducing so much carbon or methane into the
world stage. The risks of inaction go beyond damaging our global reputation. Canada will be left behind in today’s clean energy economy if our federal and provincial governments do not adopt strong policies that reduce our carbon pollution and create a strong economic environment for clean
On December 15, 2011, the Government of Canada authoritatively told the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that Canada would practice its legitimate right to formally pull back from the Kyoto Protocol. The Environment Minister, Peter Kent, was the one who announced this. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement connected to the UNFCCC that sets internationally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets for each country that is in the agreement. There are a lot of benefits as to why Canada should stay in the agreement, but at the same time there are a few complications and setbacks that we will have to face as well. Canada will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases, save money and create jobs, and reduce drastic
Renewable energy can be more affordable to people in the U.S. There are many possible ways it can be more affordable. For example, a renewable energy such as electricity can power automobiles with a be less expensive cost than to power it on fuel. Since fuel is related with international market, the price on fuel often result to inflation and deflation (Leistikow n. pag.). According to the chart on Gasoline vs. eGallon prices, Dan Leistikow compares, “Fueling your car with gasoline costs roughly 3 times more than fueling with electricity” (n.