OTTAWA – The federal government should move quickly to start charging for carbon emissions as recommended today by the independent National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), says the David Suzuki Foundation.
“Putting a price on carbon emissions is a highly effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Pierre Sadik, senior policy advisor for the David Suzuki Foundation and a member of the NRTEE experts committee.
The report shows that the most effective policy is a broad economy-wide carbon price, either in the form of a greenhouse gas tax or a cap and trade system, accompanied by building regulations and transportation regulations.
“Whether it’s capping carbon emissions or charging for them, the key is for government to start moving now,” said Dale Marshall, the Suzuki Foundation’s climate change policy analyst. “If we wait too long Canada will not meet its targets. Delay has many risks, including higher cumulative emissions, a steeper carbon price down the road and increased economic costs.”
“In addition to the environmental pay-off of reduced greenhouse gas emission, the revenue earned from a carbon price could help reduce taxes on savings, investment, and labour,” said Mr. Sadik. “And it could also be used to finance new pollution-reduction technologies.”
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