Canada’s economy and energy independence relies heavily on the fossil fuels we extract within our own national borders. However, our global environmental reputation has allegedly taken a hit over the past few decades as CO2 emissions per capita have the singular focus for environmentalists. As a result, we have been labeled everything from “corrupt petro state” to “colossal fossil” for our perceived inaction on climate change.
Now, the governments of Canada and Alberta have opted for carbon taxation in order to fight climate change embarrassment. They believe that Canada should lead by example, forcing Canadian industries and consumers to adopt a “green future” without a clear plan for what that entails, let alone how it will affect the environment or our economy.
Former provincial and federal official Larry Martin will examine how ideology may have buried science in the current policy, where we went wrong, and who stands to win and lose from this arguably misguided approach.
Speaker: F. Larry Martin
F. Larry Martin is a retired civil servant. He ultimately served as Deputy Minister to the Premier of Saskatchewan and Assistant Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Intergovernmental Affairs in Manitoba. His career commenced in the federal Department of Industry, Trade, and Commerce some forty years ago. Larry grew up farming near St Brieux, SK. He holds a Bachelor of History and a Master of Agricultural Economics, both from the University of Saskatchewan. He is retired and lives in Canmore, AB.
Larry is now contemplating Canada’s approach to carbon dioxide emissions and climate change. His column, “Canada may already be carbon neutral, so why are we keeping it a secret?” was published in the Financial Post last year and addresses the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by Canada’s terrestrial biomes. His January article in The Huffington Post, “Carbon Tax Won’t Make Canada a Climate Leader If Nobody Follows” considers Canada’s influence on climate policy in India, China and other developing countries. Both articles rank high in measurements of reading and sharing on social media.
Moderator: Duane Pendergast
Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2017 Time: 7 - 8:30 pm Location: Dr. Foster James Penny Building, room PB210, 324 – 5 Street South, Lethbridge Cost: Free, everyone welcome