Editor:
From day one, the BC carbon tax was destined to be a flop. It was sold as a painless way to solve the climate crisis, intended to spur the transition to a “carbon free,” renewable energy economy. All the money collected from taxing carbon would be returned to taxpayers to spend some other way.
As the carbon tax increased year after year, it was assumed that the renewable energy alternatives would become the cheaper way to go. People could spend their carbon tax rebates on electric cars,
heat pumps for home heating and cooling, installing solar panels, and switching to induction stoves in their kitchens.
Too good to be true? Yes!
Although B.C. has been blessed with loads of renewable electricity, according to BC Hydro’s own projections, the province has not been adequately investing in grid infrastructure, or enough new sources of clean renewable energy to meet energy demands beyond 2030.
If the billions raised by the carbon tax had only been intelligently used by government to make the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy more rapid and robust, like providing more (even free) low carbon public transportation province-wide, and offering more robust rebates and funds for energy-saving retrofits of homes and buildings.
It’s not too late to change. Our government must quickly cap fossil fuel extraction (even cancel partially built pipelines) and quickly spend more money to make the desperately needed transition off fossil fuels to a renewable-energy-based society to avert the looming climate catastrophe.
Sincerely yours,
Paul George OBC
Gibsons
