A New Energy Revolution to Avert Climate Catastrophe by Elizabeth May

ELECTION PLATFORM PART 1 July 2007

www.greenparty.ca

GREEN PARTY CLIMATE PLAN:

A New Energy Revolution

to Avert Climate Catastrophe

First of a series of papers outlining the Green Party of Canada’s election platform.

their energy efﬁciency and reduced their demand for fossil fuels by moving to renewable energy sources. Their economies and our global environment have beneﬁtted.

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The sooner we act in Canada, the greater the beneﬁts. The longer we delay, the greater the costs. If governments do not act, Sir Nicholas Stern, former senior economist to the World Bank, estimates that unchecked climate change could result in a $7 trillion hit to the world economy, water shortages for 1 in 6 people, the extinction of up to 40% of Earth’s species and up to 200 million environmental refugees.

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Earth’s = Average Temperature (°C) = Tipping Point

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limate change is the number one issue on most Canadians’ minds and the biggest crisis facing our planet. The Green Party understands that it is not just an environmental issue. It is also an economic, social and global security issue. According to the World Health Organization, already 150,000 people die every year from climate change related causes. Canadians in communities from coast to coast to coast have felt the impacts: ﬂoods and ﬁrestorms; droughts and water shortages; hurricanes decimating treasured parks in Nova Scotia and BC; catastrophic wind and ice storms shutting down transport routes and power lines; insect infestations killing millions of hectares of trees. Canadians accept that the climate catastrophe is real and yet federal government responses to it have been tepid at best. Even the MPs who champion action are afraid to call for the ambitious programmes and changes we really need. Meanwhile, other countries have improved

TURNING DOWN GLOBAL WARMING “Last week, the Greens issued a policy to combat climate change that was the most arresting and innovative in Canada. . .and better than anything on offer from the other political parties.” ~Jeffrey Simpson, Columnist Columnist, Globee and Mail, June 15, 2007

Taking action now, says Stern, would cost just 1 to 3% of global gross domestic product annually. In Canada, based on our 2006 GDP of $1.37 trillion, 1 percent means about $13 billion—almost exactly the amount of Canada’s budget surplus in 2006.

It makes sense for Canada, with our wealth of renewable energy sources, to be a leader, not a laggard, in creating a low-carbon future. Countries that take the lead will be the healthiest in the years to come.

THE EVIDENCE IS IN – HUMANS ARE THE CAUSE OF CURRENT GLOBAL WARMING

ur planet’s climate has changed in the past – always through natural causes and often with catastrophic results. Ice ages and mass species extinctions occurred with global cooling of less than 3°C. Now our climate is rapidly warming and over 2,000 scientists on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) agree that humans are the cause.

Who do you believe? Number of peer-reviewed articles in scientiﬁc journals dealing with climate change 1993 - 2003

928

Percentage of them expressing doubt as to the human causes of global warming: Source: Consensus About Climate Change? Pielke and Oreskes, Science 13 May 2005: 952-954

Number of journalistic articles about global warming in major newspapers from 1990 – 2004*

Percentage of these articles that expressed doubt as to the human causes of global warming:

0% 636

53%

The impacts are already extreme. Arctic ice is shrinking. Polar bears and other species are at risk of extinction. Permafrost is melting. Glaciers almost everywhere are in rapid retreat. Catastrophic storms, ﬁres, droughts and ﬂoods are increasing. Warmer oceans have led to more severe hurricanes.

Projecting the current trends in ice melt and still-rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, scientists predict that the Arctic’s summer ice will be gone by 2050.

In the fall of 2003, Hurricane Juan slammed into Nova Scotia. Normally, cooler ocean waters would have down-graded Juan to a tropical storm, but it hit Nova Scotia as the area’s ﬁrst full force tropical hurricane.

We Must Avert the “Tipping Point” Scientists estimate that if the average global temperature rises by more than 2°C above the preindustrial level, the risk of “tipping point” events such as the loss of the Greenland and Western Antarctic Ice Sheets could make catastrophic climate change is unstoppable. This could happen if the level of CO2 in the atmosphere rises above 450 parts per million (ppm). We are at 384 ppm

now, up from 275 ppm in the 1800s, and the CO2 is rising by 3 ppm per year.

In March 2006, James Hansen, Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, said, “The last time the world was 3°C warmer, which is what we expect later this century, sea levels were 25 metres higher. That is what we can look forward to if we don’t act soon.” continued on page 2...

Insufﬁcient reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions spells catastrophe!

*An 18% random sample of articles in the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Wall St Journal. Source: Balance as bias: global warming and the US prestige press, Boykoff & Boykoff, Global Environmental Exchange 2004 Vol. 14:125-136

Activities such as burning fossil fuels, agribusiness and clearcutting pump CO2, methane and other gases into our atmosphere where they act like greenhouse glass, trapping the heat that would otherwise escape into space. We now have over 30% more CO2 in our atmosphere than at any time in the last 650,000 years (based on measurements from Antarctic ice cores).

Arctic ice is rapidly melting

Projected catastrophic increase in Earth’s average temperature based on “the worse case scenario” of the increased atmospheric greenhouse gases caused by the rapid burning of all the Earth’s storehouse of fossil fuels * Runaway Impacts – humans lose the

Tipping Point* **

www.greenparty.ca/ﬁles/Climate_Plan.pdf

ability to halt global temperature rise and the control over species destiny

** Earth’s temperature at the start of the Industrial Age

From: New Scientist, March 4, 2006

green party of canada PLATFORM Part 1 ...continued from page 1

“I think that a business-as-usual scenario will guarantee future disintegration of (the ice sheets of) West Antarctica and parts of Greenland.”

“You get these multiple positive feedbacks, and then you get a sudden collapse and sea level goes up very rapidly. The last time a large ice-sheet melted, sea level went up at a rate of 5 metres per century.”

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Canada’s Decline: From Leader to Laggard

n 1988, Canada was actually in the lead in hosting the ﬁrst-ever international scientiﬁc conference on climate change, Our Changing Atmosphere: Implications for Global Security. The consensus statement from the scientists was that “Humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled, globally pervasive experiment, whose ultimate consequences are second only to global nuclear war.” Since then, humanity’s emissions of greenhouse gases have gone through the roof. Concern for climate change resulted in the negotiation of a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It was signed by over 150 countries, including Canada, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. In 1997, the Parties to the Framework Convention met in Kyoto, Japan, to set out binding targets and timelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

— James Hansen, Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York. Quotes from interviews March 2006 and February 2007

Countries recognized that, even if fully implemented, the Kyoto targets would not avoid but simply delay an atmospheric doubling of carbon. The next phase of Kyoto targets must be more ambitious.

The most recent report of IPCC scientists, released in May 2007, made it clear that if we continue on our current path we are in deep trouble. To avoid the worst impacts of global warming we must collectively undertake the most ambitious measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Kyoto gives the world its only coordinated chance to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts. Canada agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, but we delayed on action and didn’t actually ratify the Protocol until 2002. Just as government ﬁnally put in place some greenhouse gas-reducing programmes, government changed hands.

Impacts of Global Warming Already, climate change has led to the mountain pine beetle pandemic infestation in BC (pictured in red) – a loss of 300 million trees worth $6 billion to local economies. Some projected impacts of a 2°C increase in Earth’s average temperature above year 2000: •58% of Arctic tundra destabilized, emitting CO2 and methane as the permafrost thaws •50% loss of North America salmon habitat •Extinction of up to 40% of Earth’s species •97% of world’s coral reefs bleached and killed •Complete melt of Arctic ice in summer Source: UK Met Ofﬁce Conference Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change, 2006

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) generated by human activity make varying contributions to global warming due to the SUN amount emitted and their heattrapping properties. Carbon taxes will apply to all of them in proportion to their CO2 equivalent (CO2e) effect. For example, methane has 25 times the heat-trapping capacity of CO2 therefore the tax on methane emissions will be 25 times the tax on CO2 emissions.

The incoming Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper, cut 40% of the 2006 budget for climate change programmes, including the popular One-Tonne Challenge. Since then Harper has publicly said that he’s given up on meeting Kyoto targets. Canada is now one of the world’s worst emitters per capita with over 23 tonnes CO2e/person per year – over twice that of UK and Sweden. We are even worse than the USA in terms of emission increases. Canada’s emissions are approaching 800 megatonnes (MT) a year. Our 1990 level was 608 MT. Canada’s Kyoto goal of 6% below 1990 is 571 MT. To avoid the “tipping point” described above, we need reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of 30% below 1990 by 2020, and 80% by 2040.

Canada’s carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions by source: Mining & industrial processes 9.2 %

Buildings 10.8 %

Agriculture 7.6 % Construction & manufacturing 6.9 % Landﬁlls 3.9 %

Transportation 25.2 %

Fossil fuel production & reﬁning & electricity generation 36.5 %

Source: www.ec.gc.ca/pdb.ghg.inventory_report/2004_report/tx_2_e.cfm

Oil extraction and reﬁning activities in Alberta’s Tar Sands are Canada’s single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions Ft. McMurray, Alberta

Photo Nancy Groce - Smithsonian Institute

Earth has a very thin atmosphere that traps and retains the sun’s heat using CO2, methane, & water vapour.

From space you can see this layer is so thin that our emissions can have a measurable impact. The stability of Earth’s temperature is maintained by the balance of these heat absorbing molecules in the atmosphere and the incoming radiation from the sun.

To reduce GHG emissions we have a global responsibility to stop extracting and exporting increasing amounts of fossil fuels.

www.greenparty.ca/ﬁles/Climate_Plan.pdf

! s a e d i e s e h t l a te

Please s

ment Day – June 5, 2007 Media Release - World Environ

ergy revolution

roadmap for new en d ile ta de ts en es pr rty Pa n ee tastrophe: Gr

bon polluters ected to align with the worst car exp is ter nis Mi me Pri a’s nad ere Ca rt catastrophic climate the G-8 Summit in Germany wh unveiling the party’s plan to ave in y Ma eth zab VANCOUVER – On the eve of Eli der lea ty Par ish Canada as a leader Adriane Carr joined energy future that will re-establ en gre an, cle a and y in the world, Green Party deputy nom eco eprint for a thriving low-carbon change. It is a comprehensive blu global leader. olution Climate Plan: A New Energy Rev rty Pa een Gr the d ase rele y Ma Ms. Carr and Ms. e 5, World Environment ncouver and Ottawa today – Jun Va in phe tro tas Ca te ma Cli rt nister Baird to Ave nister Harper, Environment Mi Mi me Pri for ge ssa me ent urg Day – with an and the opposition parties: drive the rapid isive and workable. They will dec are ey Th as. ide se the al ons “Please ste reducing greenhouse gas emissi for s get tar oto Ky our e iev ach progress needed to ping point.’ After below the 2 degrees Celsius ‘tip e ris re atu per tem bal glo p mote our and kee rty caucus in Parliament to pro Pa een Gr a be l wil re the n, the next electio no time to lose.” we must rely on you. There is policies, but in the meantime, iligendamm, G-8 industrialized nations in He the of s der lea s join ter nis Mi me the As the Pri y urged Mr. Harper to reject Ma . Ms , nda age the of top with climate change reafﬁrm Canada’s the Bush administration and to by ted mo pro ng bei e tud atti ist ion targets. defeat and long-term emissions reduct m diu me r the fur and oto Ky to commitment of the world,” said ourselves with the laggards n alig to e tim a not is his “T fossil fuels ambition. The transition from and ion vis for e tim a is “It ents the Ms. May. to renewable energy repres world the ity greatest business opportun nt’s me Elizabeth May, Leader of the Gre has ever seen. The federal govern en Party of Canada t tha ze sei and ize ogn dogged refusal to rec dership that opportunity is a failure of lea sperity in great jeopardy.” puts this country’s future pro ves quickly d for Canada’s economy. It mo goo be l wil n pla ’s rty Pa een Said Ms. Carr: “The Gr party’s, especially in the comprehensive than any other re mo is and ion vat ser con me Minister Tony on energy fossil fuels. Former British Pri e lac rep to rgy ene e abl ew l already development of ren BC Premier Gordon Campbel and ger neg rze wa Sch old Arn logies and are pursuing Blair, California Governor of developing low-carbon techno s eﬁt ben ic nom eco e ens imm understand the this path.” to te $50/tonne carbon tax, rising dia me im an is n pla rty Pa ce of a litre of gas. The cornerstone of the Green tax adds 12 cents to the pump pri bon car $50 A . ary ess nec if 0 iness leaders $100/tonne by 202 bon tax, which banking and bus car a for l cal to e rag cou the ( e what experts say in “Only the Green Party has idly reduce greenhouse gases. (Se rap to l too ive ect eff st mo s instead of gle say is the sin es into federal government coffer enu rev s put tax bon car A .) der roll the attached backgroun er taxes including income and pay oth uce red to d use be l wil e enu ons,” says Carr. oil industry pockets. That rev ng carbon dioxide (CO2) emissi uci red for s ive ent inc tax e vid taxes and to pro big mining, for Large Final Emitters – the t rke ma CO e rad d-t -an cap a 2 about half of Canada’s The plan also includes city companies responsible for ctri ele a al d rm a the n and a gas C oil, f ng, o body. manufacturi Green Party overseen by a non-governmental r be l e wil d s a ion e cat L allo CO ty of u g p din , De 2 total emissions. Tra Adriane Carr

Photo: Gre

g Ehlers.

Averting Climate Ca

bon conditionality The Green Party plan also calls for: ds and new policies, including car fun ch ear res , ives ent inc tax h ’s renewable energy sources throug • Rapid development of Canada . n of Advanced Renewables Tariffs clauses requiring provincial adoptio 5 and 85% cut vehicle emissions 30% by 201 to ms gra pro ded fun and tion c vehicles. ula • Tax incentives, reg of electric and plug-in hybrid electri ure act nuf ma an adi Can the for dits, tax-deductible by 2040, including incentives after 2025 using refundable tax cre rgy ene net o zer and 5 202 by ncy lding Code. gs to a high level of energy efficie loans and changes to Canada’s Bui l • A retrofit of all Canada’s buildin era fed ng olvi rev ce, wan Allo t ed Capital Cos sed out by 2010. Green Mortgages, 100% Accelerat ient appliances and light bulbs pha ffic ine st mo h wit 5 201 ® by ing rat strategies and ces to meet Energy Star task force to prepare area-specific • Regulations requiring all applian l cia spe a ing lud inc , ble ida avo ger h climatic disruption that is no lon ming. • Adaptation strategies to cope wit al” disasters linked to global war tur “na by hit d har as are ist ass to d use. a Climate Change Adaptation Fun urban sprawl and increase vehicle age our enc t tha e mm gra Pro y ewa l, oil, programmes such the Pacific Gat fossil fuels, and phasing out of coa of ls leve • Withdrawal of federal funding for tion rac ext rall ove on duction, a cap l, oil, gas and coalbed methane pro • Removal of all subsidies to coa tion. gas and nuclear electrical genera carbon market. tration in soils within a domestic ues seq their lands. bon car for ers farm to nts • Payme e or the net gain of carbon sinks from rag sto bon car of s los net the er forest companies to reflect eith • A carbon tax or carbon rebate for 2015. mandator y methane capture after eral framework for • A methane tax on all landfills and adian Carbon Bank along with a fed Can a of nt me ish abl est the and n standards for carbon credits • Global verification and certificatio al offsets. to encourage the purchase of loc ks ban rgy, electric vehicles bon car ial vinc pro and al loc commitments to ramp up solar ene and ng ppi shi and tion avia al tion beyond 2012 to include interna • Expansion of the Kyoto Protocol . and other low carbon technologies /Climate_Plan.pdf at http://www.greenparty.ca/files ine onl le ilab ava is , phe tro tas Ca The Full Plan Averting Climate Plan_Backgrounder.pdf ww.greenparty.ca/files/Climate_ ://w http : tes quo Tax n rbo Ca Summary of Plan and .06.2007 .greenparty.ca/en/background/06 ww ://w http n: Pla te ma Cli re: Key Points .2007b eenparty.ca/en/background/06.06 Carbon Tax FAQ: http://www.gr

green party of canada PLATFORM Part 1

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Green Party Vision: Turning Cana “A carbon tax is the best, cheapest and most efﬁcient way to combat cataclysmic climate change.” - Los Angeles Times editorial, May 28, 2007

Only the Green Party of Canada has the courage to call for a carbon tax.

THE GREEN PARTY WILL:

SHIFT TAX TO GREENHOUSE GASES; CUT OTHER TAXES

Implement a carbon tax, with an immediate price of $50/tonne of CO2 equivalent (CO2e). ate Then measure the impact and, if required to achieve GHG reduction targets, increase the tax up to $100/tonne of CO2e (the price the Stern Review put on the cost of climate change) by 2020. Given that 1 litre of gas produces 2.34 kg of CO2e a $50 per tonne tax adds only 12 cents to the price of gas per litre. Use carbon tax revenue to reduce other taxes, including income and payroll taxes, and to offer tax incentives for measures that reduce CO2e emissions. Federally, set a fuel surcharge that passes on the carbon tax to consumers to level the playing ﬁeld for commercial carriers (e.g. taxi cabs and contract truckers). Too much CO2 is being dumped into the atmosphere by big industry Large Final Emitters (LFEs)

A carbon tax is a critical step in getting the prices right, so that price reﬂects the damage caused by GHG dumping into the atmosphere. But a Green Government will not rely solely on tax-shifting.

CAP CARBON EMISSIONS & EXTRACTION LEVELS

Cap fossil fuel extraction at today’s level. Gradually reduce their use over time.

No matter what we do, the Fossil Fu

1 Quad = 100 quadrillion British Thermal Units (1015 BT

In 2004 the USA consumed approx. 1 Quad every 3 days

What do the experts say about a Carbon Tax? “Pollution must have a price tag. Currently it is too cheap to pollute and too expensive not to.” ~ Don Drummond, Chief Economist, TD Bank, March, 2007

“[The argument that taxes on oil or carbon emissions would ruin an economy is] fundamentally false. First of all, I don’t think it is going to have that much of an impact on the economy overall. Second of all, if you don’t do it, you can be sure that the economy will go down the drain in the next 30 years.”

“If your objective is to cut greenhouse gas emissions, a carbon tax is deﬁnitely one of the most effective ways of doing that.” ~ Doug Porter, Deputy Chief Economist, BMO

“Two things are needed to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations: you need a price on carbon, preferably through a carbon tax, to induce ﬁrms and individuals to cut back on their emissions; and you need an energy technology race.”

~ Chris Green, Professor of Economics, McGill University

“I fully understand that this [taxing the carbon content of fuels] is considered politically impossible, but part of our challenge is to expand the limits of what is possible.” ~ Al Gore, former US Vice President, March, 2007

“A carbon tax remains the simplest way to send a price signal about the harm that burning fossil fuels causes, and the most effective way to change our society’s habits.” ~ Guy Dauncey, Green Party critic on climate,

President of BC Sustainable Energy Association

Source: Gov’t of Canada - Bedford Institute of Oceanography.

Large industrial emitters will benefit from a cap and trade programme that puts a price on pollution so that carbon trading can work. We will regulate for improved vehicle fuel economy and energy efficiency in large appliances. In cooperation with provinces and cities, we will develop and fund programmes to improve the energy efficiency of all buildings, build

We will remove subsidies from the fossil fuel industry, cap extraction levels of coal, oil and gas and, instead, offer signiﬁcant tax incentives and support for energy conservation and renewable energy development. We will bring in regulations and consumer-friendly programmes to shift Canadian society to a low-carbon future.

~ Paul Volcker, former Chairman, US Federal Reserve, February, 2007

Set a stringent cap on carbon emissions (CO2e ceiling) for big industry (Large sions Final Emitters – LFEs). Establish an overall cap on fossil fuel extraction levels to stop at the source the increase of carbon emissions in Canada. About 50% of Canada’s CO2e emissions are produced by LFEs, including companies in mining, manufacturing, oil, gas and thermal electricity. LFEs that reduce their carbon emissions below their cap get carbon credits which they can sell. LFEs can purchase carbon credits to meet their caps.

he Green Party’s action plan to achieve actual reductions in Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions is practical and comprehensive. We will utilize green tax shifting that taxes pollution, while reducing income taxes and payroll taxes.

Canada’s oil and gas industry is making proﬁts of over $20 billion per year. A carbon tax would enable the government to reduce other taxes that all Canadians pay and fund programmes to avert a climate catastrophe.

www.greenparty.ca/ﬁles/Climate_Plan.pdf

Changing reliance on different e projected complete transition to r Firewood

Coal Nuclear

3 4 YEAR

1600

1700

1800

1900

STOP SUBSIDIES; PHASE OUT FOSSIL FUEL POWER PLANTS

Remove all subsidies to coal, oil, gas and ccoalbed oalbed methane industries. Phase out fossil fuel electricity generation. Require that these industries capture and sequester (pump it deep underground) an increasing percentage of released CO2.

SAY NO TO NUCLEAR POWER

Given that uranium processing produces ssubstantial ubstantial carbon emissions, and given the risks of nuclear energy and lack of technologies to eﬀectively deal with radioactive nuclear waste, withdraw all government funding supports and guarantees for new nuclear plants. Phase out existing nuclear power plants and uranium mining. Only maintain government guarantees on storage of current stockpiles of nuclear waste.

There is no safe way to store nuclear wastes that are radioactive for millennia

green party of canada PLATFORM Part 1

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ada from Laggard back to Leader climate-friendly transit alternatives and reward smart growth development.

These are not pie-in-the-sky goals. Elected Greens in dozens of countries are on their way to achieving them. Here are 17 steps that have been independently costed within a balanced Green federal budget to achieve and go beyond meeting Canada’s Kyoto commitment.

uel Age is destined to be very short

Support global verification and ccertification ertification standards for carbon credits. After instituting a carbon tax (which helps set a fair market price for carbon) and after setting caps on carbon emissions, establish a Canadian Carbon Bank and a federal framework for local and provincial carbon banks to encourage the purchase and trade of local offsets. (An offset is an investment in projects that avoid or absorb GHGs matching the investor’s GHG emission levels). Auction and trading of CO2e allocations will be overseen by a non-governmental body.

CONSERVE FOREST CARBON SINKS

TUs)

energy sources over time with a renewables during the 21st century Solar, Wind, Hydro, Tidal, Wave, Geothermal & Biofuels

Oil & Gas

5 6

2000

ESTABLISH A CARBON TRADING BANK IN CANADA

2100

2200

2300

Require all forest companies to pay a carbon tax that reflects the net loss of carbon storage from their lands or receive a carbon rebate to reflect the net gain as a carbon sink. Protect old-growth and boreal carbon sinks. Give FSC certified companies a 5-year tax break for their conservation-based ecoforestry.

START PICKING THE “LOW HANGING FRUIT” Realizing greater EFFICIENCY in all aspects of energy use will go a long way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

What does the Green Climate Plan mean for you? 1) For Individual Canadians: Tax credits and rebates for personal action to reduce GHG emissions; Income tax reductions for low and middle income earners to offset price increases due to carbon taxes. 2) For Workers: Programs to support a Just Transition; Creation of new jobs in energy conservation and low-carbon technologies. 3) For Industry: Level playing ﬁeld in energy sector so renewables are competitive with fossil fuels; New investment opportunities in low-carbon technologies; Carbon trading opportunities for early leaders. 4) For All of Us: Greater security and pride in our country.

PHASE IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

Pay farmers for agricultural practices that maintain and increase carbon sequestration in soils. Apply carbon taxes to methane production. Plan a rapid transition to 100% organic farming which does not use fossil fuel-based fertilizers.

Organic farm in Quebec

2400

REQUIRE PURCHASE OF ENERGY STAR® APPLIANCES

Require that all appliances sold in Canada meet m eet Energy Star® rating by 2015. Phase out inefﬁcient appliances and light bulbs, some by 2010.

RETROFIT BUILDINGS TO SAVE ENERGY

Retrofit 100% of Canada’s buildings to a high level of energy efficiency by 2025. Require new high buildings to be zero net energy after 2025 using a variety of incentives including refundable tax credits, tax-deductible Green Mortgages, 100% Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance and revolving federal loans. Work with provinces and cities to revise Building Codes to include energy efficiency measures such as mandatory installation of solar hot water systems and pre-wiring for solar photovoltaic cells (PV) on all new buildings.

Implementing the policies in the Green Party’s platform, including tax credits and direct rebate incentives to upgrade for energy conservation, could reduce our demand for power by

50%

CAPTURE METHANE FROM LANDFILLS

Require that all landﬁlls pay a methaane ne (CO2e) tax based on emissions. Regulate mandatory methane capture after 2015. Adopt Germany’s system of mandatory recycling and the requirement that industry “design for recycling” and take responsibility for recycling their products when they are no longer useful.

Conserving energy creates jobs and reduces GHGs

11 11

Adriane Carr, Deputy Leader GPC visits farm near Senneville

REDUCE CAR USE & CAR EMISSIONS

Regulate vehicle emissions to rreduce educe CO2 by 30% by 2015 and 85% by 2040. Provide tax breaks, funds and programmes to support cycling, transit, coaches, rail, teleworking, walking and videoconferencing. End federal financing for highway infrastructure, such as the Asia-Pacific Gateway Program that facilitates urban sprawl and greater vehicle use. Offer tax incentives for Canadian manufacturers of super-efficient vehicles, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Electric Vehicles and to citizens for purchase of these vehicles.

Electric light rail is one of the practical transit solutions

www.greenparty.ca/ﬁles/Climate_Plan.pdf

Tri Met’s new Max Light Rail Trains (pictured below) will run on the “Green Line” in Portland, Oregon starting in 2009.

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CANADA MUST CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL SOLUTIONS

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MEET, THEN EXCEED, KYOTO TARGETS

Reafﬁrm Canada’s commitment ttoo meet Kyoto and further medium and long term GHG reduction targets: Canada’s current GHG emissions are about 800 megatonnes of CO2e. This is about 27% above the 1990 level.

Global warming is accelerating desertification that was already underway worldwide due to overgrazing, deforestation and erosion. Desertification is causing armed conflicts and creating millions of desperate “environmental refugees.”

The Green Party’s CO2e reduction targets for Canada are: • 6% below 1990 by 2012 (30% below today) • 30% below 1990 by 2020 (47% below today) • 50% below 1990 by 2030 (62% below today) • 80% below 1990 by 2040 (85% below today)

13 13

EXPAND THE SCOPE OF KYOTO POST 2012

Negotiate the expansion of Kyoto K yoto participants (e.g. to include countries like the USA, China, Australia and India) and increase the scope and creativity of the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 to meet stronger targets to avoid runaway global warming. Include international aviation and shipping, and include commitments to ramp up solar energy, electric vehicles and other low carbon technologies.

CANADA WILL CONTINUE TO BE PART OF THE GLOBAL PROBLEM:

•if we opt out of the UN’s Kyoto Protocol —ratiﬁed by 169 countries—and ally ourselves with the worst carbon polluters like the USA and Australia.

•if we further the global climate crisis by increasing our extraction and exports of fossil fuels. Our oil and gas exports increased 2.5 times from 1990 to 2004. Oil sands production is projected to triple to 3 million barrels per day by 2015. Canada still intends to subsidize the fossil fuel industry until 2015. •if we refuse environmental refugees.

•if we do not double foreign aid to reach our long-held goal of 0.7% of GDP by 2015 to help countries facing disasters due to climatecaused droughts, desertiﬁcation, ﬂoods, crop failures and water shortages.

14 14

USDA-NRCS, Soil Survey Division, World Soil Resources, Washington D.C.

INVEST IN CLEAN DEVELOPMENT

Make up any shortfall in meeting our ﬁrst phase Kyoto target in international ing credits from the Joint Implementation and the Clean Development Mechanism. Both of these Kyoto Protocol programmes assist other countries, particularly in the developing world, in re-orienting their economies and energy systems to a low-carbon future. Because the problem is global, reductions in GHG emissions from developing countries are equally valuable in reducing the threat of climate change in Canada as are reductions in Canada.

15 15

INVEST IN ADAPTATION STRATEGIES

Prepare adaptation strategies to cope with climatic disruption that is no longer to avoidable in Canada. Establish special task forces to prepare area-speciﬁc climate change adaptive strategies involving all stakeholders. Set up a Climate Change Adaptation fund to assist those areas hard hit by “natural” disasters linked to global warming to enable, for example, municipalities to upgrade infrastructure affected by changing precipitation regimes, raise dykes in areas now more prone to ﬂooding and conserve water to cope with droughts. Investing in adaptation strategies is particularly critical in the Arctic which is experiencing Canada’s most rapid rise in temperatures

There will be an estimated 200 million environmental refugees by 2040 from both ﬂooded areas and desertiﬁed areas that are no longer able to support human settlement.

How will Canada help? Low-lying South Paciﬁc Island

www.greenparty.ca/ﬁles/Climate_Plan.pdf

Forest ﬁres are occurring more frequently due to drier summers. Adaptation strategies require different forestry and urban planning.

This was the Kelowna/Okanagan Mountain Park ﬁre in August 2003, the most destructive interface ﬁre in Canadian history: 26,000 hectares burned, 239 houses destroyed, over $100 million in damage.

16 16

MAKE GOVERNMENT ITSELF A LEADER

Apply the same GHG reduction goals to all of the Canadian government’s tion own operations. Apply a “carbon conditionality clause” to all federal funding to provinces, cities and institutions, requiring evidence of carbon reduction as a condition of the contracts and transfer payments from the federal government.

Rising oceans mean low-lying coasts are more vulnerable to storm surges. Adaptive strategies require developing coastal areas differently.

How will Canada adapt? Davis Bay, Sunshine Coast BC in Georgia Strait (February 2006 storm)

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SHIFT FROM FOSSIL TO RENEWABLE ENERGY:

AN ENERGY REVOLUTION THAT’S GOOD FOR OUR PLANET & OUR ECONOMY

RAPIDLY DEVELOP RENEWABLE ENERGY

Rapidly develop Canada’s renewable energy sources with incentive programmes and by attaching carbon conditionality clauses to all federal transfer payments, requiring the provincial adoption of European Feed Laws (similar to Ontario’s Standard Offer Contracts) and Advanced Renewables Tariffs so that by 2040, wind energy production in Canada reaches 40,000 MW, solar PV 20,000 MW, ocean energy 10,000 MW, and geothermal 50,000 MW.

SOLAR ELECTRIC ENERGY: HUGE NATIONAL POTENTIAL

Theoretically 5% of Alberta could produce 100% of Canada’s electricity needs if covered with solar photovoltaic (PV) cells

Europe is the global leader and the front runner in renewable energy technologies. The European renewable energy industry has already reached an annual turnover of €10 billion and employs 200,000 people.

~ Renewable Energy In Europe: Building Capacity in Markets, European Renewable Energy Council, 2004

Green energy initiatives by national governments, the European Union and big business will mean an estimated half million new jobs across Europe over the next 10 years. ~ A Guide to UK Local Agenda 21 Renewable Energy Projects, Earth Summit 2002

David Suzuki Foundation’s report, Smart Generation: Powering Ontario with Renewable Energy, shows Ontario can: • Create 25,000 jobs in the renewable energy sector by 2010 and 77,000 jobs by 2020. • Install more than 12,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2020 – enough electricity to phase out Ontario’s coal plants. • Produce nearly $14 billion in economic beneﬁts by installing 8,000 megawatts of wind energy alone.

Are hydrogen and crop-based ethanol fuels viable solutions? This is smaller than the Oil Sands development area

Electricity Source e.g. photovoltaic array

SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY: HUGE LOCAL POTENTIAL

Solar Thermal Heating 12 months a year Drake Landing, Okotoks, Alberta The Energy Centre

Community solar heat panels

Solar hot water panels The BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA) has set the goal of having 100,000 solar roofs in BC by 2025. See: www.solarbc.ca FACTS: Houses worldwide with solar hot water - 2.5% Houses in Canada with solar hot water - 0.05%

PROBLEMS WITH HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS: •Using green electricity to split H2O loses 66% of the energy, compared to putting the electricity directly into a vehicle via batteries. •Using natural gas, another way to make hydrogen (H2), still releases CO2 emissions. •No car manufacturers are willing to mass produce H2 cars until there’s an H2 distribution network, and vice versa. •Plug-in Plug-in Hybrid Electric vehicles will be ready by 2012, and make far more sense. Note: There is not enough time to solve these problems for hydrogen to be the cure. Using nuclear energy or burning gas to produce H2 are also not viable solutions!

PROBLEMS WITH CROP-BASED ETHANOL FUEL: After accounting for all the fossil fuels used in making ethanol from crops, its “net energy” return is very low, so it won’t signiﬁcantly reduce GHG emissions. Using farmland to grow ethanol crops will create food shortages. Ethanol from cellulosic waste not needed to build soils makes more sense. Cartoon: Modiﬁed from Andy Singer - GreenList July 22, 2006

INTERMITTENT WIND, TIDAL AND SOLAR ENERGY COUPLED WITH HYDRO OR GEOTHERMAL SUPPLIES FIRM POWER

ELECTRIC PLUG-IN HYBRID CARS:

LOW GHG TRANSPORTATION POTENTIAL Step 1: Take a hybrid, such as the Prius….

For example, when wind turbines generate power, hydroelectric output is cut back and the water behind the dams builds up. The reservoirs, like batteries, “charge up” with potential energy. When winds die down, the reservoir’s extra water is used to generate more hydroelectric power to meet demand.

Step 2: Add additional batteries Result: A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Note: PHEV’s are very fuel efﬁcient, and can reduce fuel use by 85%. Photo: Jim Harris, former Green Party leader with his Prius

www.greenparty.ca/ﬁles/Climate_Plan.pdf

Keenleyside Dam, arrow Lakes, with generation station (right)

green party of canada PLATFORM Part 1

www.greenparty.ca

Which political party has the solutions? Policy

Bloc Conservative Green Party

Liberal

NDP

Establish a carbon tax (the most effective measure to reduce GHG emissions)

Yes

Commit to Kyoto targets to reduce GHG emissions

Yes

Cap overall amount of fossil fuels extracted in Canada, including Alberta’s oil sands

No expand oil sands by

Yes

No cap & sequester

4 to 5 times

emissions

halt tar sand expansion; pursue carbon sequestration

Cancel federal funding for projects that increase car use and urban sprawl (e.g. Asia-Paciﬁc Gateway)

Yes

Phase out nuclear energy and uranium mining

Yes

uranium mining?

“I

Yes

er oth

The Harper Government’s ‘goslow’ approach will not reduce GHG emissions fast enough to fulﬁll Canada’s obligation to halt runaway global warming... and all the opposition parties, except the Greens, fail to call for the bold measures needed.

More highways for more cars and trucks makes global warming worse.

f we’re serious about reducing greenhouse gases, we have to have a carbon tax or its equivalent.”

This kind of commuting does not give people more personal freedom.

~ Comment by Mark Jaccard, Leading Energy Economist, Simon Fraser University, ‘Steep carbon tax could actually stimulate economy,’ Mike De Souza, CanWest News Service, June 20, 2007.

Photo: Jim Tan.

“So in fact, Elizabeth May is the only politician who’s being honest to Canadians right now.”

Elizabeth May Green Party of Canada Leader

Solutions lie in creating alternatives to vehicle use and urban sprawl, and in developing TRANSIT, CYCLING, WALKING and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and reducing consumption of material goods.

ACT NOW to help avert a climate catastrophe! What is your CO2 greenhouse gas emissions’ footprint? Driving: Flying: Electrifying: Heating: Heating:

1 litre of gasoline 2.5 kg of CO2 Victoria to Ottawa return (7,172 km) 2111 kg of CO2 1 kwh* from coal ﬁred plant 0.8 kg of CO2 1 litre of fuel oil 2.6 kg of CO2 1 kilowatt hour = energy consumed 1 m3 natural gas 1.9 kg of CO2 *by 10 100-watt light bulbs per hour.

What you personally can do to reduce your CO2 footprint:

CLIP

And return to: Green Party of Canada, BC Provincial Division, 301 - 207 W. Hastings St., Vancouver BC V6B 1H7

 CALL

604-689-9200

 CLICK

www.greenparty.ca

•Progress requires increasing growth and consumption. •Humans are independent of the rest of life on Earth. •Technology gives humans limitless power. •Humans are the pinnacle of creation on Earth.

WITH OBVIOUS REALITIES:

Turn down the heat in your home • Turn off the air conditioner • Make your home super energy efficient • Reduce electrical usage during peak power load times 4pm-9pm Nov.-Mar. • Buy energy efficient Energy Star® certified appliances • Put solar hot water panels on your roof • Drive less • Drive less aggressively • Share rides • Buy smaller vehicles • Travel more by foot, bike and transit

YES!

REPLACE OLD MYTHS:

•Endless material growth is impossible on a ﬁnite Earth. •Without healthy ecosystems, humans can’t survive. •Nature dictates limits on what humans can do. •The biosphere is the pinnacle of creation on Earth.

I want to give a tax-rebatable donation to the Green Party of Canada. Enclosed is my cheque for

$100

Other $ _____(maximum $1,100)

Note: After your federal tax rebate, a $100 donation costs you just $25.

I want to apply $10 of my donation to join the Green Party. I am not a member of any other federal political party_____________________ (please sign)

Please contact me. I want to help elect Green Party MPs to change the climate in Parliament. Name (please print)_____________________________________________ Mailing Address_________________________________ City___________ Prov_________ Postal Code_____________ Phone___________________ Email _______________________________________________________ ____________________________________

www.greenparty.ca/ﬁles/Climate_Plan.pdf

CREDITS • Guy Dauncey - Research & Graphics • Adriane Carr - Writing & Editing • Paul George - Production & Research • Amanda Brown - Layout & Design

Published July 2007 by the Green Party of Canada BC Provincial Division Suite 301 - 207 West Hastings St. Vancouver, BC V6B 1H7 CANADA Tel: 604-689-9200 www.greenparty.ca

Printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled newsprint with vegetablebased inks at Horizon Publications Ltd. in Vancouver, Canada. AUTHORIZED BY THE OFFICIAL AGENT