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This article was published 4/7/2015 (1906 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has released the Liberal party's policy statement outlining a comprehensible forward-looking plan for "Canada's Environment and Economy".

There is much to commend, particularly the reliance on facts and research driving the plan. What a breath of fresh air after a decade of these being ignored. The plan weaves several major issues into a cohesive whole, including climate change, economic productivity, protection of special ecological systems and a revamp of Canada's decimated environmental-assessment capacity. Clearly, this vision derives from a team of experts, thinking long-term and focused on Canada's future economic and environmental viability.

Climate change is correctly addressed as a technical problem on a world scale that can be corrected with appropriate technology. Climate scientists' calculations indicate the atmosphere currently holds about 400 parts per million (ppm): the ratio of carbon dioxide molecules compared to all other atmospheric molecules. Reducing this ratio to 350 ppm is the agreed-upon goal to neutralize human impacts.

Investments in research and technologies in electrical generation and storage are highlighted in the plan to begin the movement toward carbon reductions. These are critical in two respects: appropriate technology varies depending on regional differences, and consequent economic benefits are substantial. This highlights a clear Canadian energy policy involving investments in clean energy, support for emerging clean-technology companies and a Canada Green Investment Bond to support both large and community-scale renewable-energy projects. Federal agencies could provide their facilities as test beds for prototype testing.

The plan shows how science can be used to understand environmental problems and the consequences of options to solve them. These are linked with economic theory and analysis and explain how environmental solutions also solve economic dilemmas. Investments in green technologies will improve productivity, instead of the current policy of spending public funds on petroleum-development subsidies, a cost that exacerbates climate change.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper argues the economy takes priority, implying addressing climate change cannot be an economic generator, but a luxury to be considered -- when? This assumes climate change does not seriously impact Canada's economic foundations, now or in the future. Harper recently accepted an international political agreement to eliminate greenhouse gases by 2100. This is simply ridiculous. Before 2050, greenhouse gases must be significantly reduced to prevent global warming becoming self-generating.

While Harper is busy collecting data from the provinces to add them up for political advantage, the comprehensive Liberal plan involves working with provincial and territorial governments to address the actual fundamentals of climate change.

Trudeau's plan recognizes each province and territory has different resources, different energy sources and, therefore, different effects from climate change. It acknowledges effective solutions must account for these. One size does not fit all. Given the disrespect climate change impacts have for provincial boundaries, intergovernmental co-operation is essential. The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Agency, a former federal agency for addressing Prairie drought, is cited as an example of an integrating model. The Liberal proposal recognizes at times a federal emergency agency may need to pick up some of the overload, perhaps by equipping Canada's military to be world-class leaders in responding to weather-related emergencies.

Hopefully, new funding for the Experimental Lakes Area will evolve over time to the establishment of "ecological research stations" in all 15 major ecological systems in Canada. These would provide significant data and research to improve knowledge of the complexities within each ecological system and better insights into local climate change and how they might be mitigated.

A specific mechanism isn't spelled out to achieve all this. However, within a national framework, federal agreements will be needed with each province and territory to facilitate working together to identify, for each jurisdiction, specific circumstances, objectives and programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate impacts. Where necessary, adjacent provincial governments should be included in such co-operative arrangements. This approach is not without precedent.

The Liberal plan is a beginning and basis to build a way forward to improve productivity while dealing with Canada's responsibilities for climate change and long-term ecological vitality.

Jim Collinson consults on the complexities among energy, environment and economy, and was assistant deputy minister for the Department of Regional Economic Expansion (Western and Northern Canada) and Parks Canada.