IPCC recommendations in 10 concrete ideas

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) offers a lot of ideas and principles for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Here are ten concrete ideas, inspired by this report, that Quebec government could adopt to seriously curb the climate crisis.

1. Prohibit the installation of natural gas heating systems:

Since this year, it is prohibited in Quebec to install an oil heating system in new residential buildings. From 2024, it will also be prohibited to install this type of system in existing buildings. Why not apply this regulation to all fossil fuels, including natural gas. In Quebec, a house that heats with natural gas emits an average of nearly 10 tonnes of CO2 per year.

2. Increase electricity rates:

Quebec, the potential green battery of North America, would benefit from supplying hydroelectricity to its neighbors who run on gas and coal. Significantly increasing the cost of electricity would also make certain energy efficiency measures more cost-effective. An increase in rates would encourage consumers to equip themselves better (eg: an electric heat pump is 3 to 4 times more efficient than an electric heater) and in the end, they would not pay more, since their appliances would be more efficient and less energy consuming.

3. Establish the property tax according to the land value:

Fast-growing cities can avoid future emissions by creating compact urban developments, according to the IPCC. Currently, the Act respecting municipal Quebec’s taxation provides that municipal taxes are determined based on the property value. However, this approach encourages municipalities to promote the development of their territory, making it more difficult to develop active and public transportation in these neighborhoods. Francisco Toro of Vive la Ruelle brought up the idea of calculating property tax based on the land value (excluding the buildings value). A land value tax would discourage underdevelopment of the most valuable urban land, says Toro.

4. Have employers pay for public transportation:

An idea tested in Washington State for businesses with 20 or more employees that significantly reduces GHG emissions. Moreover, the sums paid by the employers are now an important part of the local transportation companies financing. An idea from which we could also draw inspiration.

5. Make the Government legally responsible for achieving targets:

Failure to reduce GHGs should no longer be tolerated. In the UK, a law held the government accountable for meeting climate targets since 2008. For example, if London fails to meet its targets every five years, the court can blame the city. An action that could make a tangible difference in Quebec too.

6. Prohibit advertising:

For the first time in its latest report, the IPCC speaks of “sobriety” with the objective of using less materials, energy, and territory, while ensuring the human well-being. According to François Delorme, an environmental economist at the Sherbrooke University, advertising is an extremely powerful engine for creating unnecessary needs that are part of a logic of economic growth.

Banning certain types of advertising or at least changing the way options are presented to consumers is among the strategies advised by experts to achieve goals and curb overconsumption.

7. Imposing strong eco-taxation measures on gasoline-powered vehicles:

Ecotaxation is a series of economic measures that discourage harmful behavior in favor of behavior that benefits the environment. A tax purchase of several thousand dollars on polluting vehicles could have a real impact on consumer choices

8.Introduce a moratorium on new highways:

All modeled trajectories limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius imply rapid, deep and, in most cases, immediate reductions across all sectors, according to the IPCC report. Quebec cities are growing at high speed and urban sprawl is nine times greater than 50 years ago. This growth lengthens the daily journeys of commuters and poses barriers to public transportation. Development can have a really big impact on the climate and moratoriums could significantly minimize extensions.

9.Extend goods legal guarantees:

The production of steel, cement, plastics, and other materials continues to increase around the world. To control these industries emissions, we must consume less and better. One way for governments to achieve this would be to extend the legal guarantees on goods. This effective measure would make it possible to break planned obsolescence and overconsumption.

10. Remove free allowances on the carbon market:

Carbon pricing has encouraged the implementation of low-cost GHG reduction measures but has been ineffective. Aaron Cosbey, a Canadian economist from the International Institute for Sustainable Development think that we should propose reducing the number of free allowances offered on the Quebec carbon market. Large CO2 emitters would then have fewer incentives and would have no choice but to turn to more energy-efficient solutions.

These are a few important solutions that could certainly make major differences and help us in pursuing our goal of reducing GHG emissions. We hope that the IPCC report, as well as the concrete solutions raised, will have a rapid impact on future government decisions in our province.

Source : Le Devoir (Alexis Riopel)

Photo : Josh Edelson Agence France-Presse