OTTAWA — Canada can achieve economic and environmental sustainability within a generation if governments work with industry and public policy groups to address major issues like using water and electricity more efficiently, reducing waste and pollution, increasing investment in urban transit, and improving how we plan cities to curb urban sprawl, says a new report by the David Suzuki Foundation released here today.
"This is neither a lofty goal nor some obscure academic idea," said Dr. David Suzuki, who presented the report, Sustainability Within a Generation: A new vision for Canada, to municipal and federal leaders at a sustainable communities conference hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
"Sustainability means living within Earth's limits so that Canadians don't have to think twice before drinking tap water or breathing the air in our cities," said Dr. Suzuki. "We need to understand that a healthy economy is inextricably linked to a healthy environment — it's not one or the other.
"But we also must ensure we are truly innovative. Innovation does not mean continuing to provide large subsidies to unsustainable sectors like the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries while giving a tiny fraction of that support to sustainable sectors like wind, solar, micro-hydro and biogas. Now is the time for fundamental change so that future generations can enjoy resources we take for granted -like clean air and water — and do not pay the price because we squandered this wealth."
Canada is often perceived as an environmental leader, but this report by leading environmental thinker, lawyer David Boyd, shows the opposite is true.
- More Canadians die every year from the effects of air pollution than from homicide;
- Canada finished 28th out of 29 countries surveyed in a 1999 study of countries belonging to the Organization for Co-operation and Development (OECD) that examined performance in 10 categories including air, water, energy, climate change and biological diversity;
- If every individual in the world consumed as much energy and resources and produced as much waste as the average Canadian, we would need four additional planets like Earth to survive.
Despite our poor record, however, research shows that Canadians have a deep-rooted connection with the natural world and believe nature is essential to human survival and that time spent in natural areas as children is very important.
"There is a disturbing gap between our poor environmental record and our strong environmental values," Mr. Boyd writes in Sustainability Within a Generation.
"To eliminate this gap, Canada needs to develop and implement an ambitious new environmental, economic and social agenda. Countries with reputations for environmental leadership such as Sweden and the Netherlands have already embraced similar objectives and are making progress towards a sustainable future."
A 1997 World Bank study found that cities that invest in sustainable transportation fare better economically than those that spend the least per capita on transportation. Building a clean, efficient economy using renewable energy, less-polluting vehicles, and environmentally responsible infrastructure is actually cheaper than urban development that results in sprawl.
Given that 80 per cent of Canadians live in urban areas, Prime Minister Martin's new deal for cities is important, but to truly benefit Canadians it must be environmentally as well as economically sustainable, says Dr. Suzuki.
"All new expenditures for our cities must support projects that will make our communities better and healthier places to live," he said. "Pouring money into building more roads, developing more pollution-causing technology, and increasing the size of urban areas across the country would be backward steps. We have the opportunity now to leave an ecologically sound legacy for future generations and we must seize it."
Specific examples of initiatives the federal government can adopt in its upcoming budget to ensure Canadian communities become economically and environmentally viable include:
- Shift gasoline tax revenue to public transit — the federal government collects an excise tax of 10 cents per litre on gasoline, including 1.5 cents intended to bring down the deficit. A significant-portion of this tax should be shifted to investment in public transit. Canada is the only OECD country that does not consistently invest in public transit.
- Support investment in green infrastructure for municipalities — the federal government must increase funding for water, sewage and transportation to municipalities, and establish criteria to ensure that all projects are environmentally sustainable and limit urban sprawl. Canada's overall municipal infrastructure deficit is $60 billion, due in part to the almost 50 per cent cuts in total cash transfers to municipalities from the federal, provincial and territorial governments in the past decade.
- Expand funding for renewable energy — the federal government must double funding and support for the Wind Power Producer Initiative, a fledgling program that has considerable potential for producing renewable energy in Canada. Incentives for other low-impact renewable energy sources, like solar, tidal and micro-hydro, should also be expanded. These energy sources address the problems of climate change, air pollution and long-term energy security while also making an innovative contribution to Canada's economy by providing sustainable employment.
"Renewable energy is the fastest-growing source of energy in the world," said Dr. Suzuki. "A study by Shell International shows that renewable energy could supply 50 per cent of the world's energy needs by 2050 yet Canada continues to provide significant direct and indirect subsidies to unsustainable, polluting energy sources. This practice needs to be reversed so that our greatest energy investments are into renewable sources."
