Rethinking Lifestyle

This week, world leaders are meeting in Paris to talk about climate. The good news is that this is the first time in eight years that we do not expect to receive the scorn of the rest of the world for our role in delaying global progress and pulling out of international treaties. The bad news is that we’ve been running down the clock for decades, making the work that will follow this conference just that much harder.

Canada has a history of making ambitious greenhouse gas emission targets and then failing to implement policies to meet those targets. Under the Harper government our promises got even weaker and we pulled out of the few commitments we had already made, but the actual work of addressing climate change has never had much in the way of teeth up to this point. I expect that to change; the Alberta NDP is putting a price on carbon, BC has had a carbon tax for years, and Quebec has its own cap-and-trade system, so it’s about time our federal government stepped up. This government is looking to differentiate itself from its predecessor, and this is a great place to start, which means that we can expect to see some changes over the next few years. Here’s what I expect it will look like.

A price on carbon. The federal government will bring the provinces together and encourage them to put a price on carbon if they haven’t already, and unify their systems if possible. What this means for you and I is that gas prices will go up due to a carbon tax. We’ll all complain, because we always do, but if it works out anything like BC’s system it will be balanced by cutting other taxes proportionately.

Public transportation. Don’t like high gas prices? Take the bus, train, shuttle, etc. There will be more and more options for our commutes, alternatives to driving into the city by yourself. Embrace those options, they’ll save you money in the long run.

Home energy retrofit grants and rebates. Want to bring your winter heating bill down? Expect to hear that the government will bring back the on-again off-again rebate program, hopefully for good. Take advantage of it: most of our houses are energy sieves, or as my dad would say, we’re heating the great outdoors – and that costs us.

Phasing out dirty energy generation. Alberta is planning to phase out all coal plants by 2030; Manitoba doesn’t have any, but our excess hydro offsets US use of coal plants; expect MB Hydro to increase exports soon.

Public awareness campaigns will fill the airwaves.

Most of this isn’t new, but it will increase – so get the jump on it now. Tax yourself 5% at the pump, and put it toward your home energy retrofit; carpool; educate yourself and come to SETI events to learn more. It all pays off in time, so why wait? Change comes easier when we embrace it.