Landmark budget contains strong measures to address global warming

February 19, 2008 Victoria - British Columbia’s groundbreaking decision to put a price on carbon emissions will set the province up as a North American leader on climate change, says the David Suzuki Foundation.

“We congratulate British Columbia on taking this visionary step,” said Ian Bruce, a climate change specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation. “This marks a real turning point for British Columbia and puts the province at the forefront of North American action on climate change.”

Released in Victoria today, the 2008 B.C. budget contains a wide range of measures to address global warming, including the introduction of a carbon tax. The carbon tax will apply to activities that have a substantial carbon footprint -- including producing and burning gasoline, diesel, coal, propane, natural gas and home heating fuel.

“A carbon tax is one of the most powerful incentives we have to encourage companies and households to actually pollute less,” said Mr. Bruce. “A carbon tax makes polluting more expensive and being green more affordable, and allows all of us to be part of the solution.”

Under a carbon tax, the more you pollute, the more you pay, explained Mr. Bruce. This will encourage industries to become more energy efficient by investing in innovative, clean technologies, while encouraging consumers to save money by being more environmentally friendly.

Economists say a fee on carbon emissions will help spur innovation, investment and jobs in B.C.’s rapidly growing clean energy sector. It will also get these new clean, renewable energy technologies into use and reduce our emissions.

“A tax on carbon emissions is essential as it addresses one of the fundamental problems fuelling B.C.’s contribution to global warming – that we currently treat our atmosphere as a free waste dump for harmful heat-trapping emissions,” said Mr. Bruce. “If B.C. is going to reach its goal of a 33 per cent cut in emissions by 2020, we need powerful economic tools like the carbon tax to help get the job done. We’ve studied this extensively and seen evidence that it works.”

Several countries, including Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, have introduced a carbon tax and seen emissions decrease. Sweden, for example, has had a carbon tax since 1991. As a result, the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have decreased and its industries have become more efficient with the use of new technologies.

“We can have a strong economy while protecting the environment,” said Mr. Bruce. “The economy and the environment are not mutually exclusive. It’s not about choosing the environment or the economy. If we’re going to tackle climate change, it has to be both.”

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Read the David Suzuki Foundation's background document on the 2008 B.C. budget here.

For more information, contact:

Ian Bruce
Climate change specialist
David Suzuki Foundation
Cell: 604-306-5095

Sarah Marchildon
Communications specialist
David Suzuki Foundation
Cell: 604-512-7689