(Vancouver) Dale Marshall, resource and environmental policy analyst with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says there's no reason to stall on Kyoto ratification.
"Ralph Klein and other Kyoto naysayers focus exclusively on the costs of climate change action, but not on the costs of climate change itself," says Marshall. "The economic impacts of ratification will be minimal, in terms of the impact on Canada's GDP. The question here isn't should Canada ratify Kyoto, it's how."
" The key is to ensure that no one region or group of workers bears the brunt of ratification. That means implementing a transition plan that provides training and educational opportunities for displaced energy workers and encourages investment and job creation in emerging energy industries. By allocating resources to community and worker transition, we can alleviate the worries of people who will be affected by Canada's climate change policies."
Marshall is the author of a recent study, Making Kyoto Work: A Transition Strategy for Canadian Energy Workers. The study estimates the economic and job impacts of Kyoto and provides a detailed transition plan that is fair, equitable and revenue-neutral.
Over the last 30 years, the CCPA has provided alternative research and analysis that have been indispensable in exposing the corporate agenda. I don’t know what I’d have done without them.
— Judy Rebick