I can’t take Harper seriously on climate policy. All I see is a guy who wants the tar sands developed to extract every last drop. Harper stated that a carbon tax “will screw everyone”, and ruin the economy, which is the same thing as saying any method of putting a price on carbon will do the same thing as far as I can see. All he wants in any negotiation with the US is to ensure that Alberta can develop its oil, and any move he seems to make in the way of doing the slightest thing about climate is a sham designed to delay.

Andrew Weaver is one of the Canadian scientists who have a leading position in the IPCC. He wrote a book, Keeping our Cool, which most of the following information comes from.

As of 2002 Harper wrote that Kyoto is a “socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth producing nations”, and “the science of global warming is tentative and contradictory”. As late as 2006 Harper couldn’t distinguish between what weather is and what climate is. As the Arctic melts his big response has been to fortify the area to assert the Canadian right to develop its oil and gas deposits. Harper cut climate research and doesn’t bother to reply to urgent calls from Canadian scientists that he develop an effective national strategy or at least even consent to being briefed on the topic. Nature magazine has criticized Harper in its Feb 21 2008 issue for his “manifest disregard for science”, i.e. climate change science. He’s stopped Canadian scientists employed by government from speaking to the media unless their remarks are approved in advance.

Its preposterous to think he cares about climate in any way other than how he can stand in the way of any action being taken at all.

Harper has a consistent record of breaking promises and I would also remind you Harper has put Canada in a position of a international criminal by breaking our legal commitment to honour international treaties like Kyoto.

As we all know ignoring the law seems to be the de regour for Stephen Harper when it suits he own ends.

The statements that Ed Selmach has made regarding needing a seat at the table are preposterous… no matter how great the wealth of oil is in Alberta, I am simply amazed at the possibility of him derailing one of the most crucial North American environmental pacts ever.

On your recommendation Tyler (and some others as well) I read ‘Tar Sands’ and if Andrew’s information is correct, Carbon Capture and Sequestration is very, very expensive, and hardly proven to be effective. It is not the panacea! We have to reduce emissions at the source (and clean up the horrific tar ponds as well!)

I think that it was a simple economy trumps environment situation and the public did not have an appetite for it. I wonder how many media editors pushed the cap and trade story away to make room for an economic story. Anyways, at least Harper is holding on to his promise and moving away from the intensity regime (except that I do not know why both were announced and how they will work together).

The top priority for the Conservatives in a low-emission world is clean coal/sequestration and nuclear. The other stuff is just wrapping paper. On your point about taking the time to read what’s out there, yeah, it would help. I just for once want to see action rather than read promises on paper. But I’m sure you agree with me there.

“…that’s what happens when a party releases its platform just a week before an election — it doesn’t give anyone much time to absorb it.”

It’s a 44 page document..1 week. 7 pages a day and you’re ahead of the game!

It’s not about not having enough time to ‘absorb it’. It’s about everybody in this country have preconceived notions that the Conservatives are ALWAYS against any environmental policy, the Greens are pot smoking hippies, the liberals do nothing but lie, and the NDP are …well, the pot smoking hippies.

This country could accomplish a lot more if we all just took a second to read what’s out there instead of entering (and commenting/blogging/writing) about what each party is doing strictly based on preconceived thoughts.

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The 90% target is a start. It’s not the holy grail solution but it’s in the correct direction. Just like the Liberal’s Green Shift and the idea about Carbon Taxation being ‘a start’ in the correct direction…i just wished they focused on Tax credits vs. increased taxation. I (and corporations) react faster to a carrot than a whip.

But, having seen the platform, I must give Harper credit for putting the N.A. cap-and-trade objective in there. We all know why he did — he’s got no choice and wants a better negotiating position for the oil sands — but I’m willing to wait and see the substance of any negotiations that do follow. What we really need to see is what the caps will be and what the value on carbon will be.

I’m less impressed with the 90 per cent non-emitting electricity target, because we know that the big emphasis there is “clean coal” and nuclear. Given it will be 2018 earliest before the next new nuclear plant in Canada comes online, it’s doubtful that nuclear will do the job by 2020. As for clean coal, check out my next post.

http://www.conservative.ca/media/20081007-Platform-e.pdf

See pages 32 for the cap and trade announcement and page 23 for the 90% renewable electricity announcement