Climate Change & Energy
Energy services are everywhere around us, they keep us warm at night, power our industries and have fostered economic development that has greatly improved the standard of living in Canada. However, our current energy consumption is unsustainable.
Climate change is a direct result of an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. Although developed countries are almost solely responsible for the problem of climate change and still produce, by far, the bulk of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, climate change affects developing countries and the most vulnerable communities in the world the hardest.
End Fossil Fuel Tax Breaks: The government of Canada provides around a billion dollars in tax breaks every year to companies producing fossil fuels, who are among the richest in the country. In an era of fiscal constraint, hundreds of millions of dollars could go a long way towards meeting pressing social and environmental needs in Canada and abroad. By ending fossil fuel tax breaks, Canada would also be meeting the commitment our government made in Pittsburgh in 2009, along with other G20 leaders, to phase out subsidies and tax breaks to companies producing oil, gas and coal.
Additional Resources
Introducing the Green Economy Network, a new partnership between environmental organizations, labour and social justice groups in Canada. Check it out!