Introduction:
The Western existence of modernization, especially technological and industrial development, economic growth, material prosperity, urbanization, and democracy, has been built upon a long line of industrial capitalism, an economic system predicated on the accelerating extraction and consumption of fossil fuels for energy (Clark & York, 2005). A major unintended consequence of the use of fossil fuels is an increase in the average temperature of the earth; known as global warming or climate change. Recognizing and responding to climate change, arguably the most challenging social problem of the modern era (Giddens, 2009), thus poses a fundamental critique of continued modernization processes around the world (Freudenburg, 2003). Climate change is a major issue that affects all life across the
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The following paper will provide an overview of Canada’s current climate change policy, under the Trudeau administration. Then, an overview of the climate change policy for the Trump administration will be introduced. Finally, Canada’s options in the face of these circumstances will be introduced, along with the decision that should be made for Canada’s future policy on climate change.
Climate Change in Canada:
Ontario has its own creative and effective strategies to combat climate change. One of Ontario’s goal is a low-carbon future. To accomplish this the province started making carbon reductions in 1990 and are on track to reduce carbon emissions by 15% in 2020, 37 per cent in 2030 and 80 per cent in 2050 (Climate Change Action Plan, 2017). Ontario’s target of reducing emissions by 6% was met on schedule in 2014 (Climate Change Action Plan, 2017). One of the reasons this has been made possible is because of Ontario’s investment in carbon reduction. For example, in 2015 Ontario committed $325-million payment to Ontario’s Green Investment Fund to support programs that help households and businesses implement
Dr James Hansen’s argumentative essay, “A Solution to the Climate Problem,” discusses his premise that it is imperative for humankind to deal with carbon dioxide emissions, which he believes needs to be phased out by the mid-21st century. He begins with the current paradigm in government efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and claims that so far it has been a lot of talk and action in the other direction. Dr Hansen argues that while governments pay lip service to agreements such as the Kyoto Accord, they are going full steam ahead with projects that will result in increased carbon dioxide emissions, such as going forth with coal-fired power plants, coal-to-liquids, hydraulic fracturing, and tar sands oil extraction. Dr Hansen believes
Everyone talks about climate change and how the Earth is slowly deteriorating, but no one seems to have specific examples. In Linnea Saukko’s “How to Poison the Earth,” she does use specific examples of what is causing climate change. She uses satire with a hint of sarcasm in her essay. She gives the reader specific examples of how to poison the Earth, but not really wanting to poison the Earth. Gretel Ehrlich writes her essay, “Chronicles of Ice,” a little differently. She uses personal experiences of visiting a glacier and the way that it is falling apart to explain climate change. She uses detailed, sensory description to explain
Currently, the Canadian government is taking several initiatives to control climate change. In 2017, Canada signed the Paris Accord and agreed to cut 30% of carbon emissions by 2030.
We once lived in a world lush and plentiful where we enjoyed all the natural resources peacefully. However at the beginning of the industrial revolution more people moved to the cities therefore increasing their dependency load. Fastforward to today and the world has seen a drastic change in the loss of natural resources as well as a number of health related illnesses like asthma. This is mainly due to the effects from carbon pollution, greenhouse gases and global warming. Canada as a country is thought of as environmentally aware and progressive. Actually has many issues regarding this topic and if it is not taken care of it will affect the future of the nation. I care about this topic because it has to
Since the beginning of International Relations and foreign policy, especially in the United States, environmental issues have not been its top priority. this problem has gained much momentum sense the environmental movements of the sixties and the passing of landmark pieces of policy. From domestic policy decisions of the Clean Air and Water Acts to the international ban on CFC’s, environmental policy has showed a degree of promise and precedence. Many critics of past and current mitigation efforts have pointed out that our current efforts are much too slow and International Protocols and not lived up to their projections. In order for climate policy to be successful it must appertain to three distinct criteria; It must be adopted broadly, have the ability to stay in place indefinitely, and it needs to have incentives to reduce emissions that make it beneficial for firms and the public sector to invest (McKibbin 2006, 9). According to some it will be motivation, not feasibility as to the deciding factor of whether or not we are successful in mitigating and adapting to climate change (Jamieson 2013, 466).
Investments on green infrastructure and clean technologies will be done. With this planned, a subsidies of $2 billion Low Carbon Economy Trust to fund projects that reduce carbon, implement the G20 commitment and phase out the large gifts for the fossil fuel industry. While working with the provinces and territories, they plan to develop a Canadian Energy Strategy to protect Canada’s energy security, encourage energy conservation, and bring cleaner renewable energy into the electricity grid. Over the five years, Justin Trudeau plan to give $2.65 billion to help poor countries fight climate change. The global leaders are planning a financial-plan at the Paris conference that will determine how much will be spent. To combat climate change, G20 countries are estimating that $453 billion subsidizing their fossil fuel industries. It is estimated that the amount of money to be spent on climate change will increase
For the last two decades, the increased use of fossil energy caused the environmental problems. The evidence of global warming, like drying rivers, extinction of species, melting of glaciers, became more often around the planet. The climate change became a threat to healthy environment and prosperity of humanity and wildlife, and the world community started searching for solution to combat climate change. In 2008 British Columbia introduced carbon tax on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reduce global warming. Starting from $10 per tonne of CO2, the price was increasing annually till it reached $30 per tonne in 2012. During that period British Columbia was reducing harmful emissions and improving economy comparing to the rest of Canada. However, since the price rise on carbon stopped in 2012, no improving changes in cutting emissions, economy, and overall quality of life have been noticed. In this essay I will persuade that British Columbia should continue gradually increase price on carbon tax to the level where it will significantly cut the use of dirty energy, provide enough investments into the green projects, and support low-income families.
The economy in Canada can be altered by many incidents. It can either be for the better or worse. Global warming is one of them. Global warming is a serious matter and should be a focal point of discussion for the future of all countries. This one thing can destroy the whole planet and everything that comes with it in the future.
An article from Chris Nelson (2015, December 10) frames the agreement as a waste of time, beginning with the words: “So imagine what 36,276 men and women accomplished in Paris these last weeks to deal with another global threat - climate change, if you answered ‘not much,’ then grab the first-prize ribbon.” These openly biased attacks on pro-environment initiatives are examples of how oil is framed in a way that legitimizes itself and rejects climate leadership to the degree where helping the environment is framed as a tactic to appear virtuous for other jurisdictions. Coverage from August of the same year reinforces the partiality of a paper that believes the government’s climate change adaptation strategies have little to do with humanitarian motives. To illustrate, Priaro (2015, August 22) writes, “there is little need for government to intervene to reduce the rate of increase in GHG emissions from Alberta with a misguided, unnecessary and debilitating climate-change plan that will only lead us to an economic dead end.” Journalist David Marsden (2015, January 6) follows, “we don’t need to create more means of harming our economic competitiveness” when speaking about climate change adaptation in Alberta. He continues to claim that the Premier “and her ragtag band of brothers and sisters in cabinet [are] intent on social engineering us to economic death” (ibid). The Calgary Herald was not entirely pessimistic; there is
Food and shopping are also increasing the effects of global warming. In Canada there are many farms, food factories, and clothing factories. With all these factories, Canada has many markets and stores open to sell all of that was produced from the factories. All of the production emits greenhouse gases, which is one of the reasons global warming is occurring in Canada. The greenhouse gas emissions from the food and shopping sectors produced by Canada is 4,603 megatons, which is almost 1 percent of the total greenhouse gas emitted in Canada (2011).
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the nation by surprise in October 2016 by stating that each province in Canada will need to adopt a carbon pricing scheme by 2018. In addition, Trudeau added that the only other option for the provincial governments will be to impose a cap and trade system in order to follow the Paris Agreement. Countries that follow the agreement must set their own targets for reducing the carbon gases that they emit into the atmosphere. The main goal is to sustain global warming to be under two degrees Celsius. (Paris Agreement Paragraph 2). Revenues made off of the carbon tax will remain with the provinces and territories of origin. With this taxpayer money, each provincial government can decide how the tariffs are distributed.
It has been reforming its manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure, transportation and power generation industries work at their best efficiency. It is putting emphasis on usage of green public transport and also development of only certified green projects. It has been rationally using its natural resources and shifting to renewable sources of energy wherever possible. But climate change is a global phenomenon and Canada has not held itself back from helping other
According to Canada’s Emissions Trend report, the two provinces that contributed the most to the country’s emissions are the province of Alberta and Ontario. Alberta has suffered many first hand consequences of high GHG emissions, notably the massive wildfire in Fort McMurray, a fire that burned 85 000 hectares of land (MacCleans, n.d.). Ontario on the other hand faced a cooler and wetter summer for 2017. Due to the high contributions of emissions by Albert and Ontario, these provinces have high priorities to establish legislation and policies to reduce emissions. However, they have enacted multiple provincial legislation targeting environmentally sustainable
The issue of climate change is one of the most decisive matters, in determining the ecological state of the world in the foreseeable future. The fact is that the globe has been steadily increasing at an alarming rate since the industrial revolution. It is estimated that over the next eighty years, the ecosystem in which we live, will look nearly unrecognizable in a matter of decades. As the magnitude of the problem increases, we will continue to deal with devastating weather events, that will occur as a result. Events, such as extreme weather, increase in temperature, ocean acidification, depletion of our polar cap, and a number of other environmental repercussions are likely to occur, if we do not act with reasonable care and timeliness. As policymakers and politicians, it has always been a question of whether or not this concern is something that should be dealt with within the span of our lifetimes. For a number of years, it has always been a question of whether or not a concern such as this should be prioritized. Under the Petersen Administration, environmental security will be regarded as more important than economic security. The U.S. will continue to honor its pledge from the Paris agreement, which states that the U.S.’ pledge is to cut emissions by twenty-six percent below 2005 levels by 2025, and to make its “best efforts” to reach twenty-eight percent in the coming years. Many global nations will partner with the U.S to assert that unilaterally and multilaterally,
Individual Canadians have the ability to lessen the effects of global warming and cease climate change before it becomes catastrophic in the near future. This can only happen if we are part of the solution and not furthering the growth of pollution and carbon dioxide emissions. Now what is global warming? Global warming is an increase in the earth's temperature due to fossil fuels, industry, and agricultural processes caused by human, natural, and other gas emissions. This results in an increased emission of greenhouse gases. Some examples of greenhouse gases are methane, carbon dioxide and ozone. These gases contribute to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the heating of the surface of the earth due to the atmosphere