Tax greenhouse gas emitters, B.C.'s climate action team says

Source: CBC News

Posted: 08/07/08 1:01AM

Filed Under: Canada

B.C. might have to raise its unpopular carbon tax sooner than expected, if it hopes to reach its greenhouse gas targets, according to a new report from the province's official Climate Action Team released Wednesday in Victoria.

The 21-member Climate Action Team was created by Premier Gordon Campbell to reach a consensus among scientists, industry, government, First Nations and environmentalists on how the province can reach the premier's goal of cutting emissions by one-third by 2020.

The team, which includes a mayor, a First Nations chief, several CEOs and company presidents, scientists and industry association representatives, proposed two short-term targets and made 28 recommendations to ensure B.C. is on track to reach the goal.

The first short-term target is to not only reverse the growth in B.C.'s greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, but to have already decreased emissions by five to seven per cent.

The second target is by 2016, the decline in emissions must have accelerated, with annual emissions falling to at least 15 per cent below 2007 levels.

"It certainly puts B.C. in a leadership position," said Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation, a leading environmental group, and a member of the climate action team.

The goals can be reached without hurting the economy and any tax increases would be offset by tax cuts in other areas, Robinson said.

"I'm an optimist. I really think human innovation and the capacity to change is something that's inherent to us," he said.

B.C.'s official climate action plan to cut greenhouse gases is among the most aggressive in North America and includes a carbon tax linked to income and business tax cuts, and an as-yet undefined cap-and-trade system for industries that create greenhouse gas emissions not covered by that tax.

Those programs would only take the province an estimated 73 per cent of the way toward Campbell's goal of a one-third reduction in emissions by 2020, so the team also handed down 28 recommendations to bridge the gap.

Those recommendations include increasing the carbon tax in 2012, and either extending it to all industries to cover all greenhouse gas emissions, not just those from fossil fuels, or setting tight limits on other industrial emissions with the proposed cap-and-trade system.

Other recommendations include increasing public education, improving fuel efficiency of heavy vehicles, increasing use of rail, bike, and foot transportation, creating greener building codes, making appliances more efficient, using carbon capture and storage, making solid waste disposal more effective, creating new forestry and bio-energy strategies, and carbon neutral strategies for municipal and the provincial governments.

For now, the report is just a set of recommendations, Environment Minister Barry Penner said on Wednesday, and the government still needs to analyze them before deciding how it will proceed.

"But just as importantly, we want to hear from British Columbians," said Penner.

The public will have sixty days to comment on the recommendations.