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By supporting the development of renewable energy and cutting subsidies to the polluting fossil fuel industry, we could speed up Canada’s shift to a clean economy. The coal-powered plants that generate energy for our homes and workplaces are a major contributor to declining air quality in our cities. A clean energy future would mean fewer smog-alert days in the summer and fewer kids in the hospital from asthma attacks. European countries are light years ahead in adopting clean energy. Although we generate less than 1% of our electricity needs from wind power, Denmark generates 20%. Even the United States has 20 times more installed capacity for wind power than we do. There are already models for sustainability that Canada can follow. In 2001, Iceland announced it was planning to become the first country to rely exclusively on renewable energy. It already uses renewables for two-thirds of its total energy needs. Next >> City of the Future
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In 2002, the federal government made it clear that we supported international efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming when we agreed to the Kyoto Protocol. Unfortunately, our governments haven’t yet laid the groundwork for achieving these reductions. While the provincial and federal governments have dithered, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 18 per cent since 1990. By contrast, Germany’s emissions have decreased by 18 per cent.
