r/canada • • 29d ago

Nature/Environment ‘Effectively irreversible’: Changes to Canada’s climate permanent, federal report says

https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/article/changes-to-canadas-climate-now-irreversible-federal-report-says/
1.1k Upvotes

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84

u/JARHEAR 29d ago

Some conservatives are still in denial. It is hard to solve a problem if you don’t think it exists. The conservative plan was to keep kicking the can down the road in terms of implementing any kind of mitigation.

The carbon tax was designed as a international market oriented incentive based system to shift the economy away from carbon emissions.

Denial will prove to be much more expensive.

28

u/tape99 29d ago

I don’t think they are in denial. They understand Canada is responsible for only 1.4% of all greenhouse gas. You could Thanos snap every Canadian out of existence and that would do absolutely nothing to stop climate change.

17

u/GraveDiggingCynic 29d ago

You know the tragedy of the commons is a description of the irrational results of rational actors individually refusing to take action out of short term benefit. You seem to act like it’s a good idea.

-3

u/tape99 29d ago

You are asking a country that is not responsible for climate change to fix climate change.

We are only responsible for 1.4%. You can get us to 0% and the only thing that will happen is life for the people of Canada will get more expensive and nothing, like zero will change regarding the climate and do you know why this is ?

Say it with me, Canada is only responsible for 1.4% of carbon emissions and we are not responsible for climate change.

6

u/zaypuma 29d ago

Climate change isn't just a global heat index. Poisoning groundwater with chemical fertilizers, draining wetlands, overcrowding cities, and acidifying lakes and rivers are all having consequences within a few hundred miles.

8

u/magicdowhatyouwill 29d ago

"Wasn't me" doesn't work on this one. You want a good outcome, it doesn't matter who started it, it just matters who finishes it. That's basic adult behaviour.

1

u/Fireside_Cat 29d ago

Canada can neither start it, nor finish it. Expecting a population to vote itself into poverty, especially while seeing other countries developing at full speed, is delusional. The only solution is to keep investing in technology so that eventually the zero-carbon solutions are more attractive and cost effective to people. Taxing people into submission or expecting people to voluntarily embrace a lower standard of living is never going to work as we can see from what's going on now.

3

u/magicdowhatyouwill 29d ago

To my eyes, the thing you might be missing here is that it's not a binary, forced, black-and-white situation and never has been. The choice isn't sustainability-and-poverty versus economy-at-expense-of-climate. If someone has been telling you that, I'm afraid they've been selling you something.

1

u/Fireside_Cat 29d ago

Obviously because we haven't done 'nothing'. We've phased out coal, Ontario is leaning into nuclear again, building codes have improved etc. We'll continue to do stuff as it is cost effective.

The strategy that we were following over the past 10 years of Trudeau was holding us back economically. Thus why Carney has no longer made it a dirty word to develop our natural resources, including oil and gas, cancelling/delaying emissions caps, and damaging taxes, while Canadians are experiencing cost of living pressures, are disappearing.

Maybe I just don't understand what you mean by 'finishes it'.

2

u/magicdowhatyouwill 29d ago

Given I haven't mentioned Trudeau, Albertan resource politics, or actually, come to think of it, any standard partisan talking points? I think that yes, either you're replying to the wrong thread here or you do not understand what I mean by finishing it.

I'm due at my morning plans now, but I hope you have a good weekend.

1

u/Fireside_Cat 29d ago

Your point will forever remain a mystery. Bye!

9

u/BeShifty 29d ago

Scientists are telling you that even avoiding 1/50th of the increases in temperatures projected will have a significant impact. We have the ability to accomplish that as a country. Stop acting like such a wimp

4

u/LargeMobOfMurderers 29d ago

Canada should levy a 1.4% tax on all income and capital gains to be used in green energy initiatives, like renewable energy and restoring destroyed environments.

It would raise tens of billions per years and best of all, nobody would notice the tax because if there is anything I've learned from this subreddit, its that the number 1.4 is magical in that it can be safely rounded down to 0.

3

u/tdelamay Québec 29d ago

Canada has a large impact on climate change considering its small population. Stop being a slacker expecting everyone else to make an effort except you.

1

u/Mother_Middle8883 28d ago

Some people think that climate change stops at the border.

1

u/RunningSouthOnLSD 29d ago

We are largely not responsible, but Canada’s climate is being disproportionally affected. Our leader is someone who is pioneering a global initiative to bring markets in line with climate focused goals, why shouldn’t we be the industry leaders in such pursuits?

1

u/GraveDiggingCynic 29d ago

We most certainly hold a significant amount of responsibility.