Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Carbon tax legislation, which the opposition estimates will increase household bills by $1000 / year, has just been passed by the Alberta Legislature.
Alberta carbon tax legislation passes, marks first stage of climate-change plan
The new legislation will raise the price of heating bills and gasoline as an incentive to turn to green energy sources.
EDMONTON—Premier Rachel Notley’s government used its majority in the legislature Tuesday to pass legislation that includes a carbon tax and completes the first stage of Alberta’s landmark strategy to combat climate change.
The legislation gives legal teeth to the multibillion-dollar tax that is to take effect Jan. 1 and will raise the price of heating bills and gasoline as an incentive to go green.
It also lowers the small-business tax rate to two per cent from three and establishes an agency to fund energy savings programs.
The final tally was 42-39.
After the results were announced, Notley shook hands with government house leader Brian Mason and exchanged a thumbs-up with Environment Minister Shannon Phillips.
“I’m extremely proud of this piece of legislation and extremely proud of this government’s climate leadership plan,” Notley told the house just prior to the bill’s passage.
…
The carbon levy is to take effect Jan. 1. Gasoline at the pumps will rise by 4.49 cents a litre and diesel will go up 5.35 cents a litre.
The government estimates higher heating and gasoline fees will cost the average family an extra $443 next year.
Opposition members say the government is lowballing that figure.
“This is going to pull at least a thousand dollars from every household in Alberta,” said Wildrose Opposition Leader Brian Jean.
…
The Albertan government is offering rebates to poor people, which may or may not cover the surge in energy costs. If the horrific rise in deaths of elderly people in Britain is any guide, a lot of these rebates will miss the target. Poor people in Britain theoretically receive energy rebates – yet somehow far too many still have to choose between heating and eating.
Where I come from, that is usually called a stick, not a carrot.
“The Alberta Climate Panel forecast that the proposed measures will cause emissions in 2030 to be 50 Mt of CO2 equivalent less than the status quo case. The plan would reduce the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere by 0.026 parts per million. Using the TCR of 0.85 °C as given in Table 1, the global temperature reduction would be 0.00007 °C by 2030, which is insignificant and undetectable.”
http://www.friendsofscience.org/assets/documents/AB_carbon_tax_Economic_Impact_Gregory_Summary.pdf
Ken: Typical Friends of Science nonsense. You can do better than to use them as a source of info.
The objective in AB is not to reduce atmospheric CO2. Nor is it to eliminate emissions in AB. The Carbon Tax needs to be much larger to achieve that. BC’s tax is larger than AB’s($30/tonne vs $20/tonne) – but BC’s tax must be larger, too, to effectively eliminate emissions.
The intent is to reduce the growth in emissions in AB. Big difference. AB is Canada’s worst emitter. They are trying to make the transition gentler. Kind of a “soft landing”.
Under the plan, AB’s emissions will still grow, but more slowly. At least for the next several years.
And the population will be nudged to reduce fossil fuel consumption.
You are beyond stupid. CO2 has no measurable effect on the climate. CO2 is a valuable gas in the atmosphere and for global biosphere health should be 800 ppm or greater. You are stupid and deluded.
John, I am the author of the report at the link and author of the paragraph. If you go to the end of the report you will see links to the full technical report and the excel spreadsheet with the calculation. I am also the webmaster of the Friends of Science website. We use measurements and data, not IPCC nonsense in all of our reports, so our credibility is vastly superior than that of the discredited IPCC. If you think there is something wrong with the report, let me know and I will fix it.
John:
So, I will burn 6 or 7 cords of wood next year instead of the usual 4 or 5, putting more wood soot and CO2 into the air to fertilize my pastures and adjacent forest in my rural setting; thus increasing my CO2 out put and offsetting the pittance of propane I use to heat water. But that is ok because wood is “renewable”. The fact that I will be putting more particulates into the air and more CO2 is not relevant because I might use a few litres less propane? Propane that is clean burning and running around 25 cents a litre right now. Yes, the Notley plan will increase the cost of propane, as well as the cost of electricity. I reckon the CO2 police will show up one day and say I can’t use my wood heat.
As far as other fossil fuels, I won’t see any reduction living many kilometres from anywhere. My tractor will still need the same amount of fuel as always. So will my farm truck and SUV that I need to get to town – cars don’t cut it out here – I often have to plough my own way to the highway in the winter.
So, some city folks might reduce their in town trips, but when it’s 30 below outside, it is unlikely the use of Natural Gas will be reduced although it will be 40% more expensive to heat a house. I wonder how long it will be for that to hit home to voters this coming winter.
Everything will cost more.
Industry might find some ways to reduce fossil fuel use through efficiency.
To reduce CO2 emissions, individuals will have to reduce their free time travel to the mountains and lakes. It will have a big impact on the tourism industry.
The law of unintended consequences. The Carbon Tax will have a negative impact on the economy. It seems that is the main issue of discussion in the news in Alberta these days. All the negative impacts on people. (I know you will say the BC tax had no impact. That is another discussion with lots of back and forth so let us pass that one by.)
Out of curiosity, just what level of Carbon Tax would you like to see – or just ban the use of all fossil fuels outright or phase out over what time period?
Perhaps you could say what you think should be done and why?
Lay out your plan.
Thanks.
(Did you see where the Alberta Carbon Tax revenues are to be spent? Do you agree with the plan?)
“The Albertan government is offering rebates to poor people, which may or may not cover the surge in energy costs.”
Trust me, it won’t cover it at all. A number of years back when I lived in an apartment with all electric utilities ComEd gave a discounted rate if you had an electric hot water heater which, of course, I did. Fast forward to now where I live in a two bedroom duplex. I don’t have a big screen TV, seldom listen to TV anyway; don’t have a home computer or video console; don’t use outdoor lighting; and most of my indoor lighting is either flourescent or LED which I turn off when I leave the room. My stove, hot water, and heat are gas, yet during winter, when I’m not using AC the electrical bill seems inexplicably high. The only explanation I can come up with is that my home medical oxygen equipment is an energy hog. I have an electric O2 concentrator which feeds me pure oxygen 24/7 through a 40′ plastic tube. Atop the concentrator sits a pump which receives excess O2 from the concentrator and proceeds to pump up travel (portable) O2 tanks to 2,000 psi. It takes about 2-4 hours to fill a tank. I reasonably suspect that equipment sucks up the juice.
The ever beneficent ComEd has a registry of consumers with medically necessary (sometimes critically necessary) electrically operated medical equipment. Like a fool, I got the doctor’s certification and filled out the requisite paperwork to be on this stupid list. What does the patient (and ever patient consumer) get for their trouble? Nothing. Nothing at all. There’s no reduction in rates. There’s no guarantee of a speedier re supply of electrical service following an outage. Hell, it doesn’t even offer protection against a disconnect for a late bill payment. The only purpose behind this stupid registry that I can possibly imagine is that it’s merely a self-absorbed feel good policy on the part of the reptilian ComEd management.
And, speaking of disconnect, allow me to go into greater detail. In 2007 my job of 23 years was eliminated when my employer determined that my medical condition was a greater liability to the company than it was to me (I tend to dispute that). Fearing that every other employer in this solar system would probably agree with my company (er, my company no longer) I embarked on a quest for Social Security Disability. I was approved. On learning of this my loving older sister asked, “What trick did you use; who did you know to get that?” Nothing and no one dear sis; I qualified for it – in case you hadn’t noticed my strained behavior at times.
Now, I enter the Medicare Part D doughnut hole at the end of May at which point it’s hasta la vista for their 80% script payments. [BTW: Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble but SSD doesn’t provide Medicare till 29 months (they’re hoping you expire in the interim) ‘after’ you’ve been approved.] During the duration of the doughnut hole (which lasts till renewed again the following year) my prescription drug costs can exceed $350 USD per month.
In the presence of meeting those bills, paying the mortgage, and sundry other expenses; all paid thru SSD checks; I tend to pay my electrical bills late. So, what does ComEd do? They send me a letter ‘requesting’ a $160 USD security deposit. Huh? I mean, I’ve lived in my duplex for almost 15 years; never had the electricity disconnected; and certainly need the electricity to operate my medical equipment for chrissake. They’ve certainly indicated they’re quite willing to turn it off if they don’t get paid. And, it’s not exactly like I can run away, El Chapo style, and elope with a different electrical provider. The bills get paid; they’re just late. I’m on a fixed income of SSD which is why they’re late: I have to juggle costs. But, these vipers who possess the never ending threat of a disconnect, suddenly want a $160 sec dep on top of that?!
Now, I’ve taken way, way, way too long to explain why poor people are never going to be really compensated for the deprivations the vapid, human hating, Eco warriors are going to visit upon them. [Seth (at the beginning of these comments) – you know who you are.] But, anybody who truly has experience in – the system – knows how it truly works. And, I’m quite fortunate compared to most. My SS payments are $1,882/month. I know some who only receive $500/month. These billionaire-making; ruling class feel good; quasi-religious; authoritarian green initiatives will devastate those people.
It’s your oxygen equipment. Paid electric bills for a relative who was on disability and used oxygen.
Thanks Barbara. Yeah, I was pretty certain of that.
When all else is said and done the most valuable thing each of us must retain is our autonomy. Keep up the good fight against those who endeavor to take it.
Best wishes to you.
Tom Judd
My father would have called this ‘Golden Goose abuse.’ The gummint sees only a possible fat revenue stream, and has no clue about the hardships this will impose on the taxpayers. A lot of ‘discretionary spending’ will disappear, which will have the same effect as watering down the petrol.
Anthony, why don’t you ban “Seth”. He is a disrupter.
Anthony,
Please do not ban “”seth.”” The small bridge troll is very amusing. It also gives a measure of how effective the indoctrination has been.
Stan:
So say you.
Credible, peer-reviewed evidence, please? (Sorry, Friends of Science will never qualify.)
The eighteen year pause is clear evidence. First they (Climate Scientists) said a five year pause wasn’t statically, relevant, the seven, then ten, then it passed thirteen. Finally they admitted there was a pause and claimed the “missing heat” is buried somewhere deep in the oceans. Then with the Karl paper they eliminated the pause by manipulating ocean temperature data.
It’s pretty clear they are either clueless or corrupt. My bet is on corrupt.
Try history. Over the last 100 million years temperatures have gone up and down. CO2 has gone up and down.
At no time did the two ever move in unison.
As others mentioned, the recent pause while CO2 levels went up by 30%.
The fact that the current temperature increase over the last 150 years, when plotted on a yearly basis, against the CO2 increases, shows no correlation between the two curves.
The fact that it has only risen by 0.8C in the last 100 years, with half of that warming coming before the big rise in CO2 started.
The fact that at least half of the 0.4C increase that has occurred during the time CO2 was rising has been attributed to things other than CO2.
I realize that you are one of those trolls who only accepts science that comes from carefully pre-selected scientists whose jobs depend on maintaining the myth of CAGW, but doesn’t mean the rest of us are equally blind.
Guest: “I’ve never understood the hate on for natural gas (or fracking for that matter) by climate groups. Its an amazing and simple fuel with minimal environment footprint during production or consumption.”
You won’t ever understand it. There is no understanding it and that’s because it’s religion – nothing more. Just another whackadoodle brain-fart meme which unfortunately went viral. You probably won’t ever understand why some people think it’s an essential idea to put women in black bags either.
I didn’t vote NDP, and in the next election, they will tossed out like garbage.
I live in Alberta. I did not vote for these guys. Nether did 60% of Albertans.
What makes me angry is that we are paying (via tax $) to hear advertisements trying to equate this new bill with air quality.
To top it off, we, Alberta, don’t even emit enough CO2, that if CO2 cause global warming, that we could make any noticeable impact on global CO2 levels. Even if we completely turned off all our CO2 emissions, it would make no difference. But now, just as the oil price is starting to recover, and our hurting economy with it, they (the socialist government) is going to beat us down with this BS.
I hear ya Jeff, I live in Okotoks, and it just pissed me off to hear the advertising about cleaner air etc…
Doesn’t get much cleaner than Okotoks. Best air anywhere.
When heating fuel and gas become to expensive to use people will go back to burning wood, peat and poop. So your clean air wont be cleaner… DUH!
Holy crap Liberals are stupid.
You just figured that out? ;*)
There’s no point arguing with a Climate Cultist. They BELIEVE. They’ve got their black Nikes on, drunk the cyanide and are waiting for the comet. The only problem is they want to take the rest of us along on the ride.
Carbon tax – if you want to demonise carbon, realise that if you thus kill coal mining, you will also kill iron mining because with no coal you won’t be able to make steel.
No steel means no engines, no ball bearings, no cars, no trucks, no trailer, no tractors, no combine harvesters, no ships, no Ford class aircraft carriers, no navy (apart from wooden sailing ships), no airplanes, no wind turbines, no axles, no shafts.
No steel means no civilisation.
Welcome to the stupid age.
Ever heard of CCS(Carbon capture sequestration)?
Yes, I have heard of CCS. And just how is gaseous CO2 going to be economically modified into carbon to feed a blast furnace?
I believe the troll is claiming that you can sequester the carbon that is being produced by the blast furnace.
That it will double the cost of iron to do so doesn’t matter.
All that matters is that the troll and his friends get to tell each other that they are righteous and saving the world.
Another example of politicians following pseudo-science and ignoring real science. It is impossible for carbon dioxide to warm up the world because demonstrably the greenhouse effect attributed to it does not exist. The short range global warming/cooling cycle is all controlled by ENSO and leaves no room for the greenhouse warming to exist at all.
Are they taxing Carbon or Carbon Dioxide? If it is Carbon Dioxide, they are actually taxing air.
They are taxing the air we breath (mostly breath out).
That ‘Seth’ thing is no more than a Robot and you all got sucked in.
There was another one on here a couple of months back with the same layout of replies, just try a bit of slang or ‘Typos’ and see the bafflement or non response.
Amusingly Seth was the ancient Egyptian god of chaos among other things (He was also Claudius to Horus’ hamlet)
Never thought Alberta would be bullied into the scary global warming con game . Well revenues are down and some might even fall for the green wash . If they think they bought off green lobbyist’s they are mistaken .
Can’t wait for the next election .
BC carbon tax now costs more than the natural gas commodity price . Another Liberal Party heist .
But hey some people don’t seem to be mind being robbed as long as the story appeals.
The carbon tax has been so ineffective tax payers get to have Site C dam built at a cost of $$billions . Maybe BC will ban all natural gas use like the dim wit Liberals in Ontario plan to do .
The Conservatives could run a chimp in the next election and likely win .
From this article:
“If the horrific rise in deaths of elderly people in Britain is any guide, a lot of these rebates will miss the target. Poor people in Britain theoretically receive energy rebates – yet somehow far too many still have to choose between heating and eating.”
Cold Weather Kills 20 Times as Many People as Hot Weather
By Joseph D’Aleo and Allan MacRae
September 4, 2015
https://friendsofsciencecalgary.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/cold-weather-kills-macrae-daleo-4sept2015-final.pdf
[excerpt]
Canada has lower Excess Winter Mortality Rates than the USA and much lower than the UK. This is attributed to our better adaptation to cold weather, including better home insulation and home heating systems, and much lower energy costs than the UK, as a result of low-cost natural gas due to shale fracking and our lower implementation of inefficient and costly green energy schemes.
The problem with green energy schemes is they are not green and they produce little useful energy, primarily because they are too intermittent and require almost 100% fossil-fueled (or other) backup.
The Alberta Climate Change initiative seeks to reduce the use of fossil fuels and increase the use of green energy. In Europe, where green energy schemes have been widely implemented, the result is higher energy costs that are unaffordable for the elderly and the poor, and increased winter deaths.
European politicians are retreating from highly-subsidized green energy schemes and returning to fossil fuels. When misinformed politicians fool with energy systems, innocent people suffer and die.
Cold Weather Kills 20 Times as Many People as Hot Weather
By Joseph D’Aleo and Allan MacRae
September 4, 2015
https://friendsofsciencecalgary.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/cold-weather-kills-macrae-daleo-4sept2015-final.pdf
[another excerpt]
UNITED KINGDOM AND EUROPE
The Guardian examined Excess Winter Mortality after the 2012/13 hard winter. A total of about 50,000
Excess Winter Deaths occurred that winter in the UK.
http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/nov/26/excess-winter-deaths-up-29
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health2/excess-winter-mortality-in-england-and-wales/index.html
[excerpt]:
“Each year since 1950, the UK Office for National Statistics has looked at excess winter mortality…
Excess winter mortality was 31,100 in England and Wales in 2012/13 – up 29% from the
previous year. Figures for Scotland were also released recently showing a much smaller increase
in winter deaths, up 4.1% to 19,908. In Northern Ireland meanwhile, the raw numbers were low
but the increase was large – a rise of 12.7% to 559 deaths.
The methodology behind the maths is surprisingly simple; the ONS take an average of deaths in
winter (those in December to March) and subtract the average of non-winter deaths (April to
July of the current year and August to November of the previous year). The result is considered
‘excess’. “
In the milder climates of western and southern Europe, the Excess Winter Mortality is greater than in
the colder northern climates, where people are more accustomed to colder winters and homes are
better-designed to keep residents warm.
http://jech.bmj.com/content/57/10/784.full – See Table 2.
Also energy costs in Europe are much higher due to their early adoption of inefficient and costly green
energy schemes, forcing the poor to make difficult choices – in the UK this is called “Heat or Eat”.
This is even simpler to comprehend than all of this.
Alberta does not have a provincial sales tax. Any time any politician brings it up, they fail re-election. It’s become something of a game, as leftists understand how to manipulate Albertans, and sadly too many fall for it. They mention something about a PST, and everyone gets upset. Then they announce that they won’t be doing it, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
Then along comes a new type of politician. They cheated their way in, which in itself isn’t new. They gamed the system, which also isn’t new. They used social media and other things targeted at a younger, “hipper”, more gullible electorate. That was new.
And now, by stealth, and under the name of “carbon tax”, they’ve managed to implement a sales tax in Alberta.
According to the Sun poll today, 85% of Albertans do not want a carbon tax. The only real question is, what mental deficiency is afflicting the other 15%? Well… they’re primarily younger and more gullible.
You can make all the claims you want, and point to all of the “peer reviewed” propaganda out there. CO2 levels are NOT something to worry about. NONE of the dire predictions about it have come to pass. NO actual warming has occurred for a long, long time, which SCIENTIFICALLY disproves the “AGW” hypothesis. It’s not a theory. It’s not “settled science”. It was a hypothesis and has been disproved. Only people who are ant-science and have no concept of physics, heat transfer, and reality believe that it’s true.
And just like governments all over the world, the leftist media hype has given them license to steal from the people, and that is exactly what they are doing. Despicable louts, all of them.
Agree CodeTech.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/05/28/greens-blame-donald-trump-for-crumbling-paris-climate-accord/comment-page-1/#comment-2225245
We have known since about 1985 that global warming was scientifically wrong – a false crisis.
We have known with greater certainty since about 2002 that it was a deliberate fraud.
This post is from 2009:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/20/mikes-nature-trick/#comment-228857
Some of us always knew it was a trick.
Now it is absolutely clear that it was much more. It was not just bad scientific methodology; it was deliberate fraud, conspiracy and corruption.
These scoundrels have taken hundreds of millions in government grants and caused the waste of hundreds of billions in public funds.
I hope they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
They belong in jail.
The new surge in carbon taxes and cap and trade taxes in ALBERTA and ONTARIO are primarily introduced to provide tax revenue and have very little to do with fighting climate change. Canadian annual temperatures are actually cooling in Canada and North America as a whole .
REGIONAL PATTERN FOR ANNUAL TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES TREND SINCE 1998-2015 PER ENVIRONMENT CANADA RECORDS
• ATLANTIC CANADA – DECLINING
• GREAT LAKES & ST LAWRENCE -DECLINING
• NORTHEASTERN FOREST –DECLINING
• NORTHWESTERN FOREST –DECLINING
• PRAIRIES – DECLINING
• SOUTH BC MOUNTAINS – SLIGHT RISING,ALMOST FLAT
• PACIFIC COAST- RISING
• YUKON/NORTH BC MOUNTAINS -SLIGHT RISING, ALMOST FLAT
• MACKENZIE DISTRICT- SLIGHT DECLINING, ALMOST FLAT
• ARCTIC TUNDRA – FLAT ( ANOMALIES HAVE DROPPED 3 DEGREES SINCE 2010
• ARCTIC MOUNTAINS & FIORDS -RISING BUT FLAT( ANOMALIES HAVE DROPPED 4 DEGREES SINCE 2010)
• CANADA WIDE ANNUAL TREND – DECLINING TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES ( 8 OUT OF 11 DISTRICTS COOLING ,2 WARMING BUT ALMOST FLAT, ONE COMPLETELY FLAT)
Only an outdated socialist political party like the NDP party in Alberta would significantly tax its citizens during growing unemployment, currently at 7.2 % for gasoline and heating fuel while its annual temperatures are declining in order to fight non existent local global warming and to pay for new renewable energy electrical projects because it is unnecessarily shutting down its coal fired plants while still having its own local coal reserves , not to mention the oil sands . Talk about unnecessary taxing of ordinary people in order to support wasteful spending by a party out of touch with reality about climate in its own province and in the country..
Herkimer:
Canada isn’t the world(whose temp is rising) – but its temp trend is similar to the world’s, since the Canadian government began keeping official records.
Canada temp departures(anomalies) 1948-2009:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/16-002-x/2011001/ct016-eng.htm
Environment and Climate Change Canada shows similar results, 1948- 2015:
https://www.ec.gc.ca/sc-cs/default.asp?lang=En&n=D6271A08-1
Ask Dr. Ball about the removal and shut down of weather monitoring stations in Canada. More than a little bias is likely, and not in the cooling direction.
John Macdonell
“Canada isn’t the world(whose temp is rising) – but its temp trend is similar to the world’s, ”
John, My comment clearly applied for the last 18 years only . I do not dispute the figures going back 68 years, but that is not the story the last 18 years . . Have you not experienced the cooler weather in Canada and North America as a whole for the last 18 years . The same decline has taken place in US compared to the rest of the world . My data comes from the same Environment Canada date set. So we are just looking at different time periods . I get their data monthly and seasonal bulletins every 3 months from EC.
JOHN MACDONELL
Not only does the ENVIRONMENT CANADA data set show that there is no global warming or global warming threat during the last 18 years , but NOAA CLIMATE AT A GLANCE data set for all of North America shows that the trend of temperatures anomalies from 1998-2015 is negative or cooling at – 0.12 C/decade for the entire continent . This data set includes Canada .
My only reason for bring the temperature issue up is that we need to be more cognitive that what is paraded as global warming threat may not be that at all in other significant parts of the world like North America . and our weather is not responding at all to increased carbon levels world wide but is going the opposite way . Placing an extra tax burden on the citizens is not justified . when we do not even understand the real weather or the science. yet.
The same NOAA data set shows that the trend of Contiguous US Average temperatures JAN-DEC is declining or cooling at -0.22F/decade. Yet there is similar push by the Democrats for some form of carbon tax to fight a non existing global warming threat in the United States . The same game is being played in Alberta and Ontario.
John Macdonell, why does your data start at 1948? I can tell you why this was chosen, but I want to hear your explanation.
David,
That’s what was on the sites. I believe that’s when Canada began officially recording climate data.
I finished splitting 6 cords of wood for this winter. I have 600 lbs of Utah low sulfur Coal.
We only had 1 non burn day last winter and I’m going to burn a lot in the evenings this winter.
I burn coal in the evenings on the weekend. It heats the house faster, and longer. At night it won’t bother my neighbors. In three some odd years global cooling may begin for maybe 11 years. I’ll have my wood burning stoves to help myself out… I’m not banking on global warming, I’m banking on global cooling.
Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
@Seth, the most commonly referred to source on tree growth and C02 is: “The direct effects of increase in the global atmospheric CO2 concentration on natural and commercial temperate trees and forests” Eamsu and Jarvis 1989. Page 44 states; 20-120% and average of 40%. Whether doubling C02 will actually do this is still up for debate and what is happening empirically is another story. I fear that that reference has been changed from ‘C02 doubling would cause 40%…’ to ‘C02 increase have caused 4o%’