Jim Harris

CLC

Inaction will cost $7 trillion

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By: Jordana Levine

If the issues of climate change are not addressed, it could cost every person on earth $1000 a year, or $7 trillion worldwide, says Nicholas Stern, former World Bank chief economist.  In the report, Climate Change and Green Jobs: Labour’s Challenges and Opportunities, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) stresses that taking action will cost a lot less than doing nothing.

If the federal government invested $30 billion over ten years to transition to an economy that is consciously aware of climate change, 330,000 jobs would be created and Canada’s GDP would increase by $140 billion.  There would be $95 billion added to personal income and $28 billion in energy savings.

Just under half of Canada’s CO2 emissions come from heavy industry, mainly using coal, gas and oil.  The report gives the example of the tarsands, which the CLC says are the single most destructive project anywhere in the world, consuming one gallon of oil for every two gallons it produces.  The tarsands have already made a hole the size of Vancouver Island, and it is predicted to grow by 400-500% in the next ten years if no changes are made, which would make the area the size of Florida.  The CLC urges Canada to stop racing to provide the US with oil and focus on slowing down the use of non-renewable energy in its own country.

The CLC believes that good jobs and a strong economy will only happen if we take into account every area that contributes to a high-quality life, including the economy, jobs, equality an the environment.  Both the global economy and the environment will be in major trouble if temperatures rise more than two degrees Celsius, leading to destruction of ecosystems, hugely diminished biodiversity, dangerously high sea levels and extreme weather.

The CLC especially supports four major areas:
•    Promoting energy efficiency
•    Investing in rail and mass transit infrastructure
•    Creating proper fuel efficiency standards
•    Developing renewable energy sources

The report stresses the importance of ensuring that policies, such as carbon taxes, do not increase inequality between classes.  The biggest polluters should be paying the most and household carbon taxes should only be imposed if 100% of the revenue goes towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A Just Transition Fund is a vital aspect that would compensate communities and individuals for wage cuts, displacement and job losses; it would fund the retraining of these workers and encourage them to work in a greener economy without diminishing the quality of life or contributing to inequality.  

 

CLC: “There will be no good jobs on a dead planet”

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By: Jordana Levine

To prevent global warming, Canadian experts call for a 25% reduction below 1990 levels of CO2 emissions by 2020 and 80% below by 2050.  

The CLC Statement on Climate Change was written for the House of Commons regarding Bill C-30: Canada’s Clean Air and Climate Change Act as a recommendation.  It insists, “There will be no good jobs on a dead planet.”

The statement highlights key opportunities to create new jobs that do not generate emissions.  A serious program to retrofit older houses in Canada over 25 years would create 50,000 jobs a year on its own; construction jobs can substitute industrial, polluting jobs.  There could also be opportunities for jobs developing efficient and renewable fuels.  The CLC gives a number of ways that new industries could create more jobs that are kinder to the earth.

The CLC insists on creating strategies to regulate practices, encourage public investment and get the government directly involved through taxes and spending measures.  The government will need to be active, insuring that it makes useful investments that will help us transition to an environmentally sustainable, low-carbon economy.

The CLC calls for eliminating tax subsidies for the oil and gas industry.  Instead, the government should provide companies with tax incentives to invest in equipment that reduces emissions and that there should be a cap-and-trade system to limit emissions. Emissions caps should be lowered as green strategies and tax measures improve and the cost of reducing emissions falls.  The Pembina Institute and other experts calculate that a carbon charge of $30 per tonne would force actual change in an orderly manner.

The report points out that energy-efficient and low-carbon economies are more labour intensive, creating new opportunities for workers, but notes that some sectors will see job loss.  The CLC suggests that a Just Transition fund should be set up, which will compensate workers for loss of money and contribute to retraining them in new, greener fields.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) calls for new, effective climate change policies to keep emissions down and provide new jobs centred around environmentally sustainable practices in the workplace.

The CLC brings Canada’s national and international unions, as well as provincial and territorial labour federations and district labour councils.  The members work in nearly every sector, occupation, and area of the country.