From bad to worse

While the headline focuses on the Libs' failings, a C.D. Howe Institute report highlights the fact that neither the Libs nor the Cons has anything to be proud of when it comes to dealing with greenhouse gas emissions:

The Liberals' $12-billion plan to implement the Kyoto Protocol over seven years would have been largely ineffective, says an as-yet unpublished report by the C.D. Howe Institute...

(According to the report, Project Green) would have reduced emissions by 175 megatonnes compared with a business-as-usual scenario, far short of the 230 to 300 Mt. reduction required to meet Canada's Kyoto target...

Prime Minister Stephen Harper could use the report to buttress his claims about the ineffectiveness of the Liberal plan, but he probably won't like the alternatives it recommends.

The most effective policy would likely be a gradually rising tax on greenhouse gas emissions, combined with reductions in other taxes to ensure no net tax increase, says the report.

The main Conservative response to climate change so far has been to make transit passes tax deductible, which experts say will have little effect on emissions.

As noted in the article, the most important lesson to take from the report is that voluntary standards are essentially doomed to failure. It'll take decisive action, not mere suggestion, to make any real dent in greenhouse gas emissions. And if neither the past government nor the current one has shown any willingness to consider the possibility, that speaks only to their lack of interest in doing more than giving the appearance of caring about the issue.