Zoe Todd: Canada's Next Great Prime Minister

I've been receiving some really good questions on facebook, so I thought I would post my responses here for the benefit of the general viewing audience:




In response to how I would achieve the goal of making Canada a 'global environmental leader':

The main aim of becoming a 'global environmental leader' is to implement policies with teeth that truly address the issues of climate change, water scarcity and environmental degradation in order to show other countries that it is possible to address the environment AND build a robust economy, and thus set a precedent for other countries to look to when implementing their own environmental legislation.
The policies I would focus on would centre around taking concrete steps on climate change, water issues, and resource development (ie: the oil sands) NOW.
a) we must lower our OVERALL carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gas and toxin emissions now
b) we have to develop, and invest in, long-term strategies to implement alternative energy sources (thus moving away from finite resources like oil and coal) and technologies that produce less or no CO2
c) in order to truly address environmental issues we must reduce our overall energy and resource consumption in light of the impacts it has today and will have in years to come if we don't address these issues. This final point is one that our federal government has avoided because it is not likely to win them any popularity contests ,but is vital if we are to have any hope in stemming the looming environmental crises experts assure us we will face (and are already facing in some parts of the country.)

In order to lower carbon dioxide emissions we need to use existing technologies to reduce our current emissions, and couple this with policies that reduce our overall consumption of energy and consequent production of carbon dioxide now and in the years to come. Many of the other contestants propose carbon sequestration and green energy as the answer to our climate change woes. I caution that these are only stop-gap measures.

The problem with focusing most of our attention on carbon sequestration or green energy is that it allows us to continue consuming very high rates of energy and resources in a 'business as usual' manner and does not facilitate reductions in overall consumption of energy and resources at the industrial or citizenship level.

Norway—a country that resembles Canada in that its oil and gas industry is one of its largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions-- introduced a carbon tax in the early 1990s, which has allowed them to reduce their overall and per capita emissions of carbon dioxide.

Meanwhile, as Jeffrey Simpson, Mark Jaccard and Nic Rivers point out in their new book "Hot Air", we have implemented weak policies that have allowed our overall emissions to climb higher and higher. Thus, we need to remove our laughable intensity-based emission targets and implement policies that will actually reduce our carbon emissions.

Our options include implementing a carbon tax, as Norway did, or implementing a carbon trading system. In the US, trading systems are employed for SO2 and NOx emissions,which allowed for reductions in the emissions of these pollutants AND continued growth of industry. I suggest we implement a 'cap and trade' system--as this has created greater reductions in emissions in the US than 'command and control' measures--for carbon emissions in Canada.

And the last point is that we need to look at other policies that are left out of the debate when the dialogue focuses solely on climate change:

a) I propose tightening up our Environmental Impact Assessment legislation so that it can better address the *cumulative* environmental and socioeconomic impacts of largescale resource extraction projects (such as oil and gas development, mining, forestry).
b)We must also address water issues, as the quality and quantity of water flowing in our rivers and lakes is declining and the provinces must work together with the federal government to update our water legislation and address inter-provincial impacts of resource development on water flowing across provincial and territorial borders. The recent Gordon Water Group report highlights the urgency of updating and strengthening federal water policy.
c) Finally, we also need to work with municipalities and rural communities to give them the tools to ensure that the growing urban population across the country develops in a sustainable manner--and does not hinder the capacity of rural and agricultural communities to continue to survive.
Thus, we need a national strategy to help provinces and muncipalities address issues of urban sprawl, declining agricultural capacity, and the impacts of urban growth on the health and well-being of rural communities (ie: resources are extracted from rural areas to feed urban demands, which distributes the impacts of urban growth disproportianately upon the rural population).

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Canada's
• Next
• Great
• Prime
• Minister
• Zoe
• Todd
• global
• environmental
• leader
• climate
• change
• water
• scarcity

[framecut]

Isn't it funny that you mention the need for clean water: and yet people prefer bottled water?

Shouldn't we allow the private sector to oversee local water

municipalities? Especially in communities which are desperate

for clean running tap water like Indian Reserves?

I am all for cleaning up the environment: But I just don't buy

into the idea of BIG GOVERNMENT to do so.

[ztoddcanadian]

At the risk of breaking the 'one part answer' rule: much of our water in Canada is threatened by overallocation to industrial and agricultural users. We need to implement (and enforce!) more stringent water quality and quantity regulations to ensure enough water returns to our watersheds to sustain life (especially as climate change worsens). This is also an opportunity for innovation in industry and agriculture to adapt to water-conscious practices in a climate-changed world.

[HillaryVipond]

No, I don´t think it´s likely that you have all the answers. But you are willing to face the most challenging and critical issue of our time, an issue that will redefine international politics and economics one way or the other. You are a start. I´m with you. Thank you & good luck.

[ztoddcanadian]

Hi Hillary! Thank you for the support! It is exciting to get this message out into the world to connect with new people (like you!) and it is something that will be relevant even after the contest ends: I hope that we build capacity across Canada to deal with environmental issues NOW and face the challenge head on.

[Bluebelle49]

Hey Zoe, you've made a fantasic video and have some great ideas which this country definitely needs to put into action.

I was just curious to hear a bit more about your suggestion to tighten up the EIA regulations, especially regarding cummulative impacts. I know that EIAs already do address these impacts, although how full the consideration is towards them I am not sure. What changes would you want to make to the regulations?

[ztoddcanadian]

Hi Bluebelle49! We need to study watershed/ regional management, in addition to local cumulative impacts, as the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board does. The legislation also needs teeth to deal with megaprojects like the tarsands (red flags are raised but projects are still approved). A localized database for research done by companies for their EIAs would make it easier to complete applications. Lastly: more stringent socio-economic impact assessment consultation requirements.

[diman75]

Zoe your future and the future of the coming generations is already spent!!! You just don't realize it yet.

[ashfbrluefjrjk]

and what the fuck are you gonna do about it?

[maintenantetpuis]

Define 'Great'?

[InnovationLady]

you go sista!!!!!

[InnovationLady]

she never said big government,,, shes my sister trust me she isnèt about big government shes about as a whole we need to work together but we need the government need our countries government to take back the roll of being responsible instead over trying to keep usa happy like been for a long time now....

[themaskedpatriot]

yes, the orthodoxy and the charming smile get me every time.

maskedpatriot(dot)wordpress(do­t)com

[amanbrar7]

Zoe Todd,

I'm also a student like you! I really like your views on addressing our environmental issues.

Good Work

Aman Brar

CNGPM Candidate

[markdj431]

Canada's attack on the arctic seals has been recognized around the world as the most reprehensible and cowardly assault on a marine mammal species in history and an enormous crime against the environment. Canadian ministers are used to hiding like rats in faceless socialist bureaucracies to avoid being held accountable for their deeds, but they are nothing but thugs and should be jailed for their crimes.