Despite 11 years of a government-imposed carbon tax, British Columbia’s carbon emissions have barely changed, according to new data from the province.
Last week the province’s Ministry of the Environment reported that in 2007 carbon emissions in BC were 64.76 million tonnes. By 2017, emissions had only decreased to 64.46 million tonnes.
That is a decrease of 0.46% over ten years.
The carbon tax in BC stands at $40 a tonne, with plans to increase that to $50 in two years. This equals around 8 cents per litre at the pumps for British Columbians.
British Columbians pay more for gas than anywhere in Canada, with prices recently going over $1.72 per litre in Vancouver, already one of the world’s most unaffordable cities.
True North fellow Leo Knight, a BC resident, says, “British Columbians are taking it on the chin and achieving the square root of bugger all.”
The carbon tax and Canada’s highest fuel taxes were meant to reduce the province’s carbon footprint, but the government’s own numbers appear to confirm that these efforts only raised the cost of living without making a meaningful impact.
At a time when British Columbia’s biggest carbon-reduction scheme made barely any difference, the provincial government has already begun promoting its newest carbon-reduction plan: CleanBC.
Among CleanBC’s requirements are that all new buildings will be “net-zero” energy by 2032, and all new cars will be zero-emission by 2040.
The goal of the BC government is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
At the current rate, that is very unlikely.
