The coalition government in British Columbia released its own newly-minted CleanBC strategy

Ramping up: Ambitious climate policy returns to British Columbia

Climate and Energy

It’s been a pivotal few weeks for provincial climate policy. Ontario released its new climate strategy last week, scaling back provincial targets and replacing its cap-and-trade system with a mix of regulations, subsidies, and a pricing system for heavy emitters. Yesterday, the coalition government in British Columbia released its own newly-minted CleanBC strategy. Happy holidays, […]

electric cars

Can subsidies for electric vehicles “boost the signal” from carbon pricing?

Climate and Energy Technology and Innovation

Québec car buyers might have more than one reason to consider an electric vehicle (EV). For one, Québec’s cap-and-trade system increases the cost of gasoline. But the province also provides a cash rebate for going electric. Does that combination makes for good policy? Does Québec — or for that matter, any other province — need […]

biofuel policy

A legal bout in the U.S. shines light on some of the big challenges with biofuels in Canada

Climate and Energy

Biofuel policy south of the border is heating up. On January 8th seven agricultural and biofuel groups initiated a court challenge against a recent ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which lowers the mandated minimum renewable fuel content in gasoline and diesel. The court challenge is interesting in its own right, but the rationale […]

biofuel subsidies

Should we take a closer look at biofuels subsidies?

Climate and Energy

The fall harvest is upon us. Crisp air, pumpkin spice lattes, and flannel shirts are in full swing. But as the final crops are harvested before the winter frost, it’s an ideal time to reflect on an industry that consumes a significant portion of Canada’s corn, wheat, and soybeans—conventional biofuels. Conventional biofuel production—which includes ethanol […]

Richard Lipsey picture - carbon pricing

5 Questions for Richard Lipsey: putting the market to work for the environment

Climate and Energy Pollution Water

“If you put two economists in a room, you get two opinions, unless one of them is Lord Keynes, in which case you get three.” So said Winston Churchill. So what happens when you put 12 leading economists in a room and ask them to focus on one of the biggest challenges of our time: […]

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