Dear Editor:
RE: Nonsense, April 11.
Neither the federal nor the Ontario Conservative parties have a viable plan to address climate change. I understand that Mr. McCraney may be tired of hearing that they have no plan, but that is probably because so many different sources have been saying it.
Looking at the Conservative Party of Canada’s policy declaration for their plan to address climate change, we find 1) cancel the carbon tax and 2) leave it to the provinces to deal with climate change. Looks like a do-nothing plan to me! Oh, and they want to build more pipelines.
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario’s plan seems only slightly better. They have partnered with the federal government to help steel production become cleaner. They have also tried to encourage EV production in Ontario but have counteracted that by scrapping incentives to buying EVs.
Other actions that have been detrimental to addressing climate change are cancelling over 700 renewable energy contracts and then to make up for the need for more electricity generation pushing natural gas instead (methane leaks make natural gas as bad as coal). They cancelled Cap and Trade just as it was beginning to show some success, will encourage people to drive more by lowering the gas tax, and propose paving over farm and wetlands for Highway 413 rather than improving public transportation. Over all it looks like a negative climate plan.
Canadians are the fifth highest per capita emitters of CO2 (14.2 tonnes/person) in the world, after the U.S., Australia, Oman and Saudi Arabia. China is only 8 tonnes/person and Sweden is 3.6. We need to do our part in reducing emissions.
We are rapidly approaching a tipping point beyond which there may be no return to a world as we now know it.
Ron Moore,
Hillsburgh