Blog: Climate and Energy

Feb 27 2019

Climate Roulette: The human side of climate risk

No one can fully get their mind around climate change. Confronting even one dimension of the problem—socioeconomic, environmental, cultural, geopolitical—can be overwhelming. Fortunately, we don’t have to know everything about climate change to confront it effectively. We can examine it through the lens of risk. As part our series on climate risk, this blog looks […]

Feb 20 2019

Climate Roulette: Risks too big to ignore

by Jonathan Arnold

Climate and Energy Catastrophic Risk Climate Change Climate Risk Economics for the Rest of Us

It’s a sobering time for anthropogenic climate change. Heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and hurricanes continue to make headlines around the globe. At the same time, major reports are reminding us that the world is a long way from its climate commitments. We’re even further from limiting global temperature rise to the international target of 1.5ºC. Without […]

Feb 13 2019

Why the Ecofiscal Commission is intervening in the carbon-pricing court case

by Chris Ragan

Climate and Energy Carbon Coordination Carbon Pricing Ecofiscal Commissioners Provincial Policy Saskatchewan

This week, the Ecofiscal Commission will participate as an intervener in the Saskatchewan government’s court challenge of the federal carbon pricing policy. We will not be there to support the federal government; nor will we be there to support the Saskatchewan government. We’ll be there to support carbon pricing. We support carbon pricing for several […]

Feb 8 2019

When we debate carbon pricing, can we at least stick to the facts?

by Elizabeth Beale, Don Drummond and Glen Hodgson

Climate and Energy Carbon Pricing Carbon tax Climate Change Ecofiscal Commissioners Opinion

As a group of economists, we still believe that facts should matter when it comes to making important policy decisions. Unfortunately, not everyone involved in the Canadian climate policy debate appears to agree. Myths and rhetoric are pushing the real facts to the sidelines. The result is a mix of confusion and polarization that is […]

Feb 6 2019

Redwater decision is progress, but environmental liabilities run deep

by Chris Ragan and Guest Blogger

Climate and Energy Alberta Catastrophic Risk Oil & Gas Sector Opinion Polluter Pay Saskatchewan

by Simon Dyer, Chris Ragan & Blake Shaffer The Supreme Court of Canada last week overturned the Court of Appeal of Alberta’s decision in the closely-watched Redwater legal case. The court’s ruling ensures environmental cleanup costs will get priority over creditors when companies go bankrupt. The Redwater decision reinforces the polluter-pay principle, which is reassuring for […]

People snowshoewing and talking, possible about climate change, need to talk about it, and climate action

Jan 30 2019

Show and Tell: It’s time to stop hiding our support for climate action

by Annette Dubreuil

Climate and Energy Carbon Pricing Climate Change

Earlier this month, an all-star lineup in the United States endorsed a plan for a carbon tax. Signed by 45 economists from across the political spectrum, the list included former Federal Reserve chairs and Nobel Prize winners. If that’s not carbon pricing going mainstream, I don’t know what is. Yet despite the growing consensus and […]

An Open Letter from Economists on Canadian Carbon Pricing

Climate and Energy