¶ Published Thursday, January 7th In Environment - No Comments »
Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2001 Nobel Laureate and Professor in Economics at Columbia University, concludes that world leaders at the Copenhagen climate conference failed not only to reach a binding agreement, but also to agree on how to save the planet. An entirely new strategy is needed, he says, to effectively address climate change: “Perhaps it is time to try another approach: a commitment by each country to raise the price of emissions (whether through a carbon tax or emissions caps) to an agreed level, say, $80 per ton. Countries could use the revenues as an alternative to other taxes –Read the Rest…
¶ Published Monday, December 14th In Environment - No Comments »
“This is the day that will define our century. Canada is fully acknowledging its historical climate debt and the legal responsibilities that follow. Today, we no longer have to wait for a COP20 or COP100 before the voices of our children are heard. Now that we are friends, I can say it is high time Canada changed.” – Margaret Matembe, MP and member of the Climate Committee of Uganda Too bad “the staged response” was in response to the fake news release claiming that Canada had done an about turnaround on its carbon emissions targets. The hoax has created suchRead the Rest…
¶ Published Sunday, December 6th In Environment - No Comments »
Martin Wolf of the Financial Times offers three criteria for post-Copenhagen climate change policies to be truly effective. First, we need prices for carbon that apply over relevant planning horizons. That price cannot be fixed forever, but must change with events. But it needs to be far more stable than in the European Union’s market for permits (see chart). A tax seems more attractive to me than “cap and trade”, for this reason. Second, where the abatement occurs must be separated from who pays for it. Abatement needs to happen where it is most efficient. That is why emissions ofRead the Rest…
¶ Published Tuesday, September 1st In Environment - No Comments »
With Carbon Caps on the horizon in North America, new and established companies are scrambling to build carbon calculators. Over 50 have started up in the US this past year, and we will likely see more. From the goliath at SAP to start-ups like ourselves, carbon calculators may become standard issue in companies trying to cut their footprint. The question remains, how the various software companies will integrate with a legal system that is likely to vary between jurisdiction and industry? From personal experience, calculating, certifying, and auditing carbon calculations is a nightmare and I am very unsure how softwareRead the Rest…
¶ Published Thursday, January 8th In Environment - No Comments »
A good point was made below on the need for more humility — nuance even — in the debate on how to deal with the increase in greenhouse gases. What’s also needed is good reporting. There might be evidence of an increase in plant growth, but what does that really mean? Are they toxic algae, possibly responsible for depleting the sea of its oxygen and killing ocean life? The booming biosphere argument also fails to address other worrying threats, such as the acidification of the sea. There’s much about this complex ecosystem that we don’t understand, as the Economist arguesRead the Rest…
¶ Published Tuesday, August 12th In Environment, Legal Issues - No Comments »
Here is a recent update our members received with regards to British Columbia’s first take at carbon credits. On May 28th, the B.C. government introduced a key component of its plan to reduce greehouse gas emissions by one-third by the year 2020. Bill 18 establishes a framework for a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions; however, specific reduction targets have yet to be set. The B.C. government can now issue a given number of allowance units (BCAUs) to affected companies that each represent one tonne of CO2 equivalent emissions. If a company wishes to surpass its emissions cap, it isRead the Rest…
