Conservative Government Abandons Market Principles on Climate Change File
Years ago now, the big argument in the climate change community was about how to lower emissions. The left favoured regulation. But, in order to draw in right-wingers who insisted that regulation kills profits, the goalposts shifted. The right invented ideas like “carbon taxes” and “cap-and-trade systems” because it argued that market incentives would encourage businesses to innovate creative solutions to climate change, whereas regulation would just raise prices and contract the economy.
So you can imagine my surprise when I read the current position of Canada’s Reform Party environment minister, Peter Kent:
“It’s a great concept and it’s a minor cost of doing business for large companies, but it’s not proven and it’s got all sorts of negatives… Compliance with regulations is a much more tangible concept than a theoretical trading system.”
It’s interesting, because that’s exactly the argument that “crazy lefties” were making ten years ago. Vaguely progressive parties, like the NDP, moved towards market solutions specifically because right-wing political marties and free-market think tanks insisted that regulation came from the devil. Now that the NDP have come onboard, the Conservatives announce a sudden volte-face and argue that big government, not the market, will solve environmental problems.
Now, I just want to pause here and repeat that statement again, so it can really sink in: the Conservatives claim that big government, not markets and innovation, will solve environmental problems.
I think as Canadians we are owed an explanation as to why the party of the free market has suddenly decided that regulation is preferable to market incentives. I think Conservative voters, in particular, should be very interested in learning why such a central principle of the political party is being thrown away. The media should be particularly strident in asking such questions.
Of course, I doubt many hard questions will actually be asked. After all, we all know what the real reason here is: Peter Kent’s regulations are horseshit. They will be loose enough that they will require virtually no adjustment in the business sector at all. And of course, cap-and-trade may be cheaper to business than strong regulations, but virtually no regulations are the best alternative of all.
And the climate? Fuck it. Here’s the coming spin: Once the sea level rises high enough for me to kayak from the suburbs to my office in downtown Vancouver, I can ditch my car and reduce carbon emissions. Canada’s Climate Plan, in action.
Tweet
Moira Law
I particularly appreciate your calling Peter Kent what he is (well, one of the things he is) — the Reform Party minister. They are not Conservatives. Conservatives conserve.
Distant Observer
” … as Canadians we are owed an explanation as to why the party of the free market has suddenly decided that regulation is preferable to market incentives …”
I don’t want to know why. Just go with it. Regulate.
John I.
Harper and his cronies don’t give a crap about wether they are hypocritical, factual, ethical or not. It’s no insult to them to point it out (though I often do myself), they simply don’t care. Rationality is useless with them, as outrageous as it may seem to those of us who try to be. They’re sociopathic, at best.
mike
my area voted 77.4% conservative
there is still no discussing anything with them
or pointing anything out
they are stil starting and ending with
nana…nanana…nana…nanana…we won
kootcoot
Mike, you have my sympathies, I feel fortunate to live in an island of sanity with an NDP (the party of the center today) MLA and MP (though the HarperCons are trying to gerrymander my MP into retirement). Meanwhile to the east, west and north we are surrounded by frothing righties of the BC LIEberal persuasion (not even center right libs, just cons with an alias) and CRAP HarpoCons. To the south we have raging ReThug Eastern Washington and skinhead neo-Nazi Northern Idaho.
Back to the topic, this is an excellent piece, though it ain’t hard to find examples of HarpoCon hypocrisy. The tighty righties preferred free market “solutions” when they were in opposition (just like they hated phone book sized omnibusbills) but now that they get to set the regulations they love regulation, and the only regulation will now be on the tree-huggers, furriners that help them and anyone else that refuses to Heil Harper.
The only environmental regulation is to eliminate all regulation on emissions, water quality, etc. that gets in the way of Harper’s friends making a dirty buck!
klem
C’mon its easy. Regulations will shut up those pesky lefty greenies. At the same time, the regulations will have no teeth and in a few years will be forgotten. Yet if someone complains that carbon emissions are rising, they can say emissions regulations are in place.
Losers!
Another Week of GW News, September 30, 2012 – A Few Things Ill Considered
[...] 2012/09/24: SixthEstate: Conservative Government Abandons Market Principles on Climate Change File [...]