Justin Trudeau has been juggling the climate change file since he took office. After eight years of twirling, there were just too many parts in the air at the same time. It’s now come crashing down and no one who understands the complex issue is really surprised.You can take a strictly regulatory approach, saying that certain emissions and substances are banned. That’s the essence of the Montreal Protocol, adopted internationally to deal with substances that had been depleting the ozone layer.
A carbon tax is supposed to do the same thing, reduce emissions. In the case of the fight against climate change, the principal culprit is CO2, which is a greenhouse gas that holds in sunlight and heat. The problem is, a tax can’t guarantee a result unless the levy on things such as carbon, which produces GHGs, is very, very high.
The problem with the Paris Accord, however, is that it requires regular filings about things such as agriculture and, most importantly, forest fires. Canada has totally blown any possible CO2 budget with last summer's horrific and widespread wildfires. Trudeau’s carbon tax wouldn’t change that equation.
Second, the millions of Canadians who consider the fight against climate change to be a priority were crestfallen. Trudeau had abandoned his key promise to them and they weren’t amused. This season’s snow has already started to fly. A lot of Liberals must be thinking that it’s about time for Trudeau to take that walk.