next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
In this special climate budget edition: -CRITICAL ACTION: Urge Finance Minister to Act on Kyoto -CLIMATE PRIORITIES, LETTER TO MPS: Jim Fulton, David Suzuki Foundation -GREENING THE FEDERAL BUDGET: a national strategy ************************************ -CRITICAL ACTION: Urge Finance Minister to Act on Kyoto Canada's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol was a critical milestone in advancing national and international efforts to protect the climate. Now it is time for federal government to follow through on this important symbolic act by implementing policies and programs that tangibly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most telling statements about Ottawa' s priorities is the tabling of the federal budget which happens in late February. Please take a couple of minutes to contact the Finance Minister to make clean air, climate protection and sustainable energy a priority in the next budget. It is most effective to send a personal fax or email Honourable John Manley, Minister of Finance Fax: 613-995-1534 Email: manlej@parl.gc.ca If you can, c.c. your own Member of Parliament. Contact info at http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Source=S M A free auto fax is also available at: http://www.davidsuzuki.org -Thank Mr. Manley for supporting Kyoto ratification -Encourage him to start making climate protection real in the upcoming federal budget -Urge support for energy efficiency programs in buildings, public transit funding, incentives for renewable energy, and phasing out direct and indirect subsidies for the petroleum and nuclear industries. ************************************ -KEY CLIMATE PRIORITIES, LETTER TO MPs: Jim Fulton, David Suzuki Foundation Below is a short letter to Members of Parliament on key climate change and energy priorities. The Foundation also prepares budget briefs for the Parliamentary Finance Committee, and publishes research on solutions to climate change. These are available at: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Publications/Climate_Change_Reports/default.asp January 16, 2003 Member of Parliament for XX House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear X X, We again want to extend our appreciation to you for your role in Canada's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The positive response to this decision, both domestically and internationally, indicates that further Canadian action on this issue will be welcomed. We are today urging you to help ensure that the coming budget reflects Canada's commitment to the Kyoto targets and to our overall climate protection objectives. We strongly believe that the momentum established by Kyoto ratification must be maintained through the budget and related regulatory decisions. Further delay in developing the programs, policies, tax provisions and market mechanisms to reduce emissions will undercut that positive momentum and make implementation of the Protocol more difficult and expensive. Public support for positive solutions remains high and that reinforces the advantages of bold actions now. A "Kyoto Budget" can maximize the opportunities for urban renewal, economic innovation, public health improvement, job creation, and new income sources in rural communities. Below we offer specific climate change solutions that have been demonstrated to be effective and affordable, both in Canadian applications and in other industrial jurisdictions, including the US: Canadian Building Retrofit Strategy Establish a revolving, low interest fund for commercial building retrofits Provide incentives and financing assistance for home retrofits, with emphasis upon local training and employment Establish a national building code with the R2000 standard for homes and a C2000 standard for commercial buildings Sustainable Transportation Strategy Allocate $1 billion per year to a Federal-Provincial-Municipal urban transit improvement fund; Make the provision of a bus pass to employees a nontaxable benefit Institute a revenue-neutral vehicle "feebate" system to reward buyers of efficient vehicles financed by an equivalent surcharge on inefficient vehicles Proclaim the 1981 Motor Vehicle Fuel Consumption Standards Act. Working with California and other progressive US states, use regulatory authority to mandate a 30% improvement in efficiency for cars, light and heavy trucks by 2008 Put the railway industry on an equal footing with the higher-emission trucking industry by levelling the taxation playing field, implementing user fees for commercial highway users, and introducing rail infrastructure incentives Renewable Energy Strategy Expand the tax incentives for all forms of renewable energy production, including training for businesses and employees Provide an additional incentive for renewable energy in provinces that are taking similar actions, such as those supporting sustainable ethanol production and use Institute a coal tax to finance the above End Support for Carbon-Intensive Fuels Production Phase out all preferential tax treatment for fossil fuel exploration and production over the next four years to free up funds to finance other government priorities Ensure that the proposed income tax changes affecting the oil and gas sector reduce, rather than increase, the preferential treatment that fossil fuels have traditionally enjoyed Fund the development and establishment of an effective domestic emissions trading system by 2005 for large industrial emitters that is designed to significantly reduce the carbon-intensity of energy production and use in the heavy industrial and utility sectors Announce the phase out of all subsidies for nuclear energy, saving $200 million per year Greening the Federal Government Create an agency in the federal government with the mandate to bring "Kyoto compliance and climate protection leadership to all federal government operations, contracts, agencies and services Institute purchasing policies for renewable energy, efficient vehicles, 'green' buildings, low-carbon fuels, and other direct product purchases for government use Direct federal land development projects and CMHC financing policies to create more energy efficiency in urban design and planning These policies and approaches, and others related to them, will start to reduce the ever-upward trajectory in Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, they will encourage other levels of government, responsible business leaders, and individuals to move in the same direction. Effective climate protection policies support economic innovation, improve air quality and public health, increase job creation and bring savings from energy efficiency: they are a net economic and social gain for Canada. We support the proposals of the Green Budget Coalition and believe that approach supports the core themes of the throne Speech, including health and economic innovation. We thank you for your consideration of these measures and urge you to contact Finance Minister Manley and the Prime Minister to encourage their inclusion in the coming budget. Sincerely, Jim Fulton Executive Director ************************************ -GREENING THE FEDERAL BUDGET: a national strategy Federal and provincial budgets are the single most important environmental policy statements made by governments on an annual basis. A budget is a public statement of priorities, reflecting what the government views as our most important and pressing issues. Yet despite polls that consistently show high levels of public support for improving environmental protection, government cuts to environmental programs and a failure to make meaningful progress in key policy areas have severely dented Canada's ability to capitalize on opportunities to benefit the environment, public health and the economy. The Green Budget Coalition is an unprecedented coalition of 16 Canadian environmental and conservation organizations that joined together in 1999 to work on federal budgetary initiatives. The Coalition develops a comprehensive annual federal budget submission focussing on addressing climate change and air pollution, protecting biodiversity and parks, and improving the health of our communities by cleaning up toxic waste. Find out more about the Green Budget Coalition, http://www.greenbudget.ca/2002_back.html ---------------------------------------------------------- For more news and information, visit http://www.davidsuzuki.org ---------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to this email list or update your information visit http://www.davidsuzuki.org/subscribe and follow the instructions. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- SUST-MAR TIP: to leave the list, PLEASE send "unsubscribe sust-mar" (or unsubscribe sust-mar-digest") to majordomo@chebucto.ca -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects