Canadians have strong moral and economic arguments for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. But how could Canada’s seemingly minor share of global emissions (about 1.6%) possibly be of consequence? What do our actions matter? Quite a bit, actually, and we can slice the data in different ways to show why. The big picture Humanity collectively […]
Debate about reducing Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions frequently references the costs of different policy choices going forward. There is comparatively little debate about the current and expected economic costs of climate change. Policy debate and decisions need to recognize that there is a cost to doing little or nothing to curb emissions. Real and rising […]
Evidence from around the world—including here in Canada—shows that carbon pricing works. Yet many people question its efficacy: how can paying higher gas prices, for example, possibly save us from climate change? How can my actions affect something so vast and complex as our climate? It might seem like a big leap, but carbon pricing […]
Governments in Canada are using Output-Based Allocations (OBAs) to address leakage in emissions-intensive and trade-exposed (EITE) sectors. As I discuss here, there are strong arguments for using OBAs in EITE sectors. But governments are also looking at using them in the electricity sector, which is typically not considered EITE. In this blog I discuss whether […]
Yes, carbon pricing, like all climate policies, will have economic costs. But that doesn’t mean we should take no policy action. Last week saw lots of talk around the economic costs of carbon pricing. In one sense, that’s appropriate. In fact, policy costs are exactly why economists like carbon pricing—because it can reduce greenhouse gas […]
Carbon pricing is emerging as the tool of choice to reduce emissions. More governments are relying on carbon pricing, and more evidence is piling up that it works. Ecofiscal’s latest report highlights three case studies, including one on California. Today, we’ll dive deeper into the U.S.’s other cap-and-trade system: the Northeast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative […]