The July 5th issue of The Economist has two articles pertaining to Canada and climate change. There is one on the Dion carbon tax and another on the pine beetle infestation in our western forests. Both topics have come up here before, but remain pertinent and worthy of discussion.
The critical ongoing question in the first case is probably how effectively Dion will be able to build support for his plan. In the case of the pine beetles, it is probably the extent of the epidemic, as well as the volume of greenhouse gasses that will be emitted as a result. Despite considerable efforts to prevent it, the beetles have now become established in Alberta, having killed more than half the lodgepole pine in British Columbia. Natural Resources Canada estimates that the infestation so far will produce 990 megatonnes worth of emissions by 2020: equivalent to well over a year of total Canadian output. If they spread into the boreal forest, the ecological and climatic consequences could be massive.
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Wow, I can’t believe the negative comments on that article. I always thought Economist readers would be a little more rational - or at least understood economics…
It is a rare website indeed where the commentary posted by users is always well thought out and decently expressed.
Indeed, I don’t think I know of a single one that is accessible to the general public.
Harper reiterated Conservative criticisms that the Liberal plan would simply shift tax dollars out of Canadians’ pockets back into federal government coffers, boosting the cost of just about everything.
“It will stop the economic progress of the Canadian middle class dead in its tracks and it will make the cost of living unbearable for fixed income seniors and low-income seniors.”
Harper said the Liberal plan doesn’t even set a target for emissions reductions.
“Why? Because Dion’s carbon tax is not an environmental policy. It is just a wealth redistribution program disguised as an environmental policy.”
stavrosthewonderchicken’s home is dying
By gen on canada
Canadian expatriate (and Metafilter member) stavrosthewonderchicken has a detailed and depressing look at the impact of the mountain pine beetle in Northern British Columbia, where a perfect storm of “forest fire suppression, clearcutting (and subsequent replanting), [and] global warming” has led to the destruction of over 130,000 square kilometers of forest.