December 24, 2008
Dear Santa,
It looks as if the federal government will be handing out belated Christmas gifts to Canada’s largest industries in next month’s federal budget. Since the auto industry and forestry companies have announced their wish lists for an economic stimulus package, I thought it would only be fair for me to do the same.
All I want for Christmas is a green stimulus package.
This country has an immense opportunity to reinvent itself with this budget and transform itself into a Green Economy. But if this metamorphosis is to take place, the upcoming budget cannot contain a bunch of giveaways to industry wrapped up in a nice green bow. Instead, it needs to hand out gift certificates with green strings attached that will help Canada’s economy grow while protecting its natural capital.
So what would my dream Christmas present look like? I would include these four conditions.
1. No free sleigh rides for industry
If the government gives away public money to environmentally naughty industries such as the auto manufacturers and forestry and logging companies, it should ensure the cash is used to promote long-term, environmentally safe practices and products. We mustn’t forget how the auto sector fought tooth and nail against imposition of CAFE standards for fuel efficiency, catalytic converters to reduce tailpipe toxics, seatbelts and airbags, while the forestry companies mounted heavy campaigns against those who were urging an end to clearcut logging and setting aside pristine forests for protection. Subsidies without any environmental and best practices criteria only encourages bad behaviour and delays the inevitable decline of poor performers in any industry.
2. Use LED Christmas lights on Parliament Hill
Mega-infrastructure programs have always been a favourite for government stimulus in tough economic times. But if any of these projects are to be given the green light, they must meet green criteria. There should be incentives for retrofitting old buildings to make them more energy efficient. Rather than paving new roads, we should be expanding our rail systems and improving public transportation.
3. No more coal in our stockings
Since you live in the North Pole with your elves and reindeer, you have already witnessed some of the most dramatic effects of global warming. Canada is one of the countries most threatened by climate change: Inuit have been telling us for years that the north is heating up. With the longest marine coastline of any nation, we are most vulnerable to sea level rise and we remain heavily dependent on climate-affected activities like agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism. But Canada can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions it creates by taking advantage of the economic opportunities in the clean energy industry. The most comprehensive economic study on climate change, authored by Sir Nicholas Stern, the former chief economist of the World Bank, projected the global market for low-carbon energy technologies will be worth at least $500 billion U.S. annually. And Canada could be part of this. If we shut down our coal-fired plants and encourage renewable energy projects, maybe one day no one will get a lump of coal in their stocking for Christmas.
4. Green spaces for the reindeer to run free
Healthy ecosystems are not just important to our own well-being, but they also play a large part in our economy. Protecting farmland, forests, watersheds, wetlands and other green spaces can ensure Canadians continue to breathe clean air, drink safe water, eat local foods and enjoy a higher quality of life. In a study conducted by my Foundation, the benefits provided by southern Ontario’s Green Belt alone have been conservatively estimated at $2.6 billion annually.
Well Santa, I’ve probably asked for too much already, although there are a few other things on my list like more money for research and development of green technologies. But I’ll save it for next year.
And I have one last request: please wrap all the presents for our elected leaders in Ottawa in re-usable, environmentally sustainable shopping bags. They’re going to need all the encouragement they can get.
Sincerely,
David Suzuki
