Conference explores putting a price on carbon in NL
Courtesy of VOCM:
The Newleef-NL Green Economy Conference kicked off in St. John’s yesterday, and continues today. Talks cover a range of subjects including the expansion of plant agriculture, sustainable fishing, climate change, and environmental assessment.
Yesterday afternoon, Minister Dan Crummell touched on government’s current plan for dealing with climate change. He says it’s a global issue, but Newfoundland and Labrador has a role to play when it comes to reducing our carbon footprint.
He says the effects of greenhouse gas emissions can be seen in Newfoundland and Labrador. “We’re seeing sea levels rise, coastal erosion, and new, invasive species like green crab reach our shores,” said Crummell.
Crummell spoke about the pros and cons of various initiatives such as implementing a carbon tax. He says they’re deeply considering a range of options.
He says a carbon tax is straightforward to put in place, and if all the revenue raised is returned back to the taxpayers, employment or income tax could be reduced. However, on the con side, he says it may be difficult to change consumer behaviour here because the province is primarily rural and depends on regular transportation.