(19 Feb. 2009) - Obama understands that the current recession presents national leaders with a unique opportunity to unleash ingenuity and develop green technologies that will renew economies and simultaneously confront climate change.
The Harper government’s denial of climate change issues has left Canada’s international environmental reputation in tatters. We have an emissions reduction plan with no teeth and an economic stimulus plan that invests little in green technology or green jobs for tomorrow.
The contrast south of the border is striking. President Obama is acting quickly to rebuild America’s international reputation with a renewed commitment to the UN climate negotiations and to new legislation to address both the environmental and economic crises.
Obama's recent economic stimulus and recovery package, called the ‘Green New Deal’, has committed $55 billion to immediate green stimulus spending.
By contrast, the Harper government’s budget fails dismally to position Canada as a green economic leader of the future. Green elements in the new Canadian budget amount to approximately one quarter of U.S. commitments.
Obama understands that the current recession presents national leaders with a unique opportunity to unleash ingenuity and develop green technologies that will renew economies and simultaneously confront climate change.
A new report by climate change consultants ICF International, commissioned by Greenpeace, shows that those sections of the Obama economic package dealing with energy efficiency and conservation alone could cut carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. by over 61 million metric tons annually – the equivalent to taking 13 million cars off the road.
On job creation, it has been predicted that Obama’s pledge to invest billions of dollars in green technology, research and development and clean energy projects over the next decade will lead to the creation of five million good paying green-collar jobs.
On the other hand, Harper's new environment minister – Jim Prentice – still views environmental protection as a burden. During the recent budget debate Prentice had this to say: “We will not aggravate an already weakening economy in the name of environmental progress.”
Canada now ranks last among developed nations in its steadfast refusal to accept that the solutions needed to address the climate crisis are the same measures needed to renew and reinvent our economy.
Obama has pledged to ensure that 10% of U.S. electricity comes from renewable energy sources by 2012. He understands that building a smart energy grid is a huge economic opportunity. As a result his green stimulus package is causing excitement among high tech firms.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of vision and action by the Canadian government on renewable energy. So far, Harper has been unwilling to put his ideology aside, or he has been overly influenced by the Alberta oil sands leaders, or is simply not interested in demonstrating the leadership required to bring the provinces together to build a smart, national renewable energy grid.
The result has been a disconnected patchwork of provincial carbon trading schemes operating under fatally flawed federal intensity targets that will not kick in for years.
Harper meets this week with a U.S. President who is ready to engage Canada in a vision of a cleaner environment and a stronger economy. Will his progressive approach rub off on Canada’s prime minister? Time will tell but, at the moment, I have grave doubts.
James Clancy
National President
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