November 5, 2009
Media contact: Anne Russell
Cell: 604-798-3709
Office: 604-795-2826
anne.russell@ufv.ca
UFV presents speaker on governance challenges to
addressing climate change |
Political scientist Sima Joshi-Koop says reducing greenhouse gas emissions is no simple task.
|
Global warming is a serious threat to our environment, and governments from around the globe have agreed that action needs to be taken to address it. Canada promised the international community that it would reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to 6 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, yet our current emissions stand well above 30 percent of that target. What’s stopping us from achieving this goal in a timely manner?
A special guest speaker will address that question in a presentation at the University of the Fraser Valley on Thursday, Nov 12. Dr. Sima Joshi-Koop is a research associate from the political science department at Simon Fraser University, and she’s coming to UFV as the guest of the philosophy and politics department.
Here is a synopsis of her presentation:
Concerted government action on environmental issues in Canada over the past four decades has resulted in both significant reductions in acid rain and the reversal of ozone depletion. Clearly, we are capable of making public policy decisions to address environmental problems. It might seem curious then, that we have been unable to do much to address the most salient — and arguably, threatening — environmental issue to grace our nation’s politics: climate change. With the science and the policy tools in plain view, we can mitigate and adapt to climate change, but we must first overcome the governance challenges that stand in the way. Understanding what they are, where they come from, and why they exist, may go far in getting us to a better, greener place.
Joshi-Koop notes that government in Canada has been reluctant to legislate compulsory changes for Canadians.
“For over a decade now, Canadian (and particularly, federal) governments have relied on a combination of information campaigns, consumer and producer subsidies, and voluntary agreements with industrial sectors, to fulfill their promises to reduce Canada’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. Information campaigns, voluntary agreements, and subsidies are non-coercive policy instruments and so, not surprisingly, they have done little to get Canadians to change their behaviour. Behavioural change however, is fundamental to climate change mitigation and adaptation. We know that people respond to regulations and market prices and yet these two tools are rarely included in the policy arsenal of our governments on climate change.”
She also notes that Canada faces some special challenges when attempting to effect change.
“There are many reasons it's difficult -- particularly in Canada -- to respond effectively to climate change. We’re unique amongst other Kyoto ratifiers. We’re large; we’re cold; and we’re also quite new. Since 1990, we’ve experienced 17% population growth. That makes it a lot more difficult for us to stabilize or reduce emissions than much of the European Union. Grittier issues include our federal system combined with the unequal distribution of energy resources in this country. Quebec has hydro-electric power while Alberta has the tar sands. Not surprisingly, these two jurisdictions have very different stakes in a national climate change policy. Getting all of Canada’s jurisdictions to agree on a way forward is not going to be easy.”
Whether the government does what is necessary to reduce greenhouse emissions remains to be seen, says Joshi-Koop.
“It’s hard to say because it depends very much on a lot of interrelated factors. It depends on us. Public attention to environmental issues has also been somewhat fleeting in Canada. We care but we don’t seem to pay attention past the initial, ambitious promises our governments have made. For the Liberals, it was 6% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions below 1990 levels, and now for the Conservatives, it is 20% below 2006 levels. Those are pretty serious commitments. Unfortunately, the policies selected have never backed them up. You simply can't get meaningful greenhouse gas reductions with non-obligatory subsidies (the transit tax credit), information campaigns (remember the One Tonne Challenge?)”
Dr. Sima Joshi-Koop finished her PhD at Simon Fraser University this past June. Her dissertation focused on the challenges of collaborative government for federal public servants involved in initiatives concerning HIV/AIDS, environmental assessment, export development and labour market adjustment. Currently, she is working with a team of researchers to measure federal, provincial, and territorial policy capacity for climate change adaptation.
The public is welcome at this special presentation, which will run Thurs, Nov 12 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm in Room B163 on the Abbotsford campus. Admission is free, but pay parking ($2 for four hours) is in effect at UFV.
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