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Tackling Global Pollution
Would sanctions really do the trick?
The mayor of Palm Bay, Fla. has been getting a lot of media attention ever since he proposed that his city stop buying Chinese imports.
“The problem I'm having with this whole thing is that we are losing manufacturing jobs like crazy,” Mayor John Mazziotti told Fox News last month. “We need to do something.”
Although Mazziotti has mainly focused on jobs and the American economy, he found himself transformed from protectionist into environmental visionary in Tuesday’s Globe and Mail as columnist Gary Mason mused about the merits of imposing economic sanctions on high-polluting nations.
The column’s Swiftian headline suggests the idea is not entirely serious but Mason wonders how else to deal with irresponsible global citizens who undermine the efforts of environmentally conscious countries.
A pair of reports out last month provide a possible starting point. The first accuses rich countries of exporting their polluting industries and of “carbon laundering.” The second says that exports to Europe and North America account for roughly a quarter of China’s emissions and argues for measuring a country’s footprint beyond its borders.
Perhaps if the G8 countries accepted this new way of accounting, they could get some commitments in return from China which is too important to the global economy to be a realistic target of sanctions. Ditto for India, Brazil and other emerging heavyweights.
The most likely alternative is for rich and powerful polluters to impose sanctions on poor countries for their relatively small contribution to global emissions. Sounds like a great way to spread the West's newfound zeal for the environment. ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
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9
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G West
4 years ago
Hmmm!
I doubt that idea will have much currency in the oil patch...Still, I think it's a good idea - not too many Canadians really realize what a big deal we are when it comes to the production of harmful atmospheric pollutants. Much of which in aid of the oil industry in Alberta. On a per capita basis we must be very nearly at the top of the list.
What part of our international image Pee Wee hasn't destroyed already might well be sacrificed according to such a measure.
shabbaranks
4 years ago
Downsize this?!
Remember in the early 90's, when lefties were protesting the loss of manufacturing jobs to the South and East, and economists and global corporations argued that this is what they needed to do to remain competitive? And remember the counter arguments about the "race to the bottom", the hollowing out of the middle class and all that?
And now look where we are: a service economy filled by people in non-union jobs, working part-time, unable to survive, and now, the mayor of Palm Beach (among others) who probably isn't all that left-leaning (judging by the community of Palm Beach Fl.), is now grabbing these arguments and making them his.
The irony is overwhelming. They did the same thing with the environment. Those of us who don't live by economic rationales were well aware of global warming long before An Inconvenient Truth opened our eyes.
In the end, we were "right", but the lag in recognizing this kills me.
NicS
4 years ago
Selling With No Buybacks!
Its probably just my paranoid tendencies, but this Florida Mayor's suggestion that his town shouldn't be buying from China seems timely. In the news today China is considering the sell-off of US $'s. And how will this affect Canada's selling of our natural resources (coal, wood, metals, wheat) if we won't buy from them unless we approve of their pollution standards? It almost seems like a recipe for the beginning of a perfect economic storm (recession). Or is it the magical aligning of the Climate Change and Peak Oil (non-renewables)issues? Oil about to break $100/b, Cdn.$110 last night, fuel oil rationing in China last week. Hmmmmm, our BC economy booming, what's next? The experts don't know anymore than we do anymore. We all have the same access to information as it happens (RSS Feeds, Etc.) Maybe we need to start going with our guts! You know, when you have all the info you're ever going to have and you have a gut feeling that something significant is going on. So, what to do?
G West
4 years ago
Don't worry NicS
Be Happy!
That seems to be the approach from Ottawa.
Personally, I'd get out of US based equities and into something a little more stable. If China starts dumping it's US paper the race to the bottom won't take long...but the crash when we get there is going to be something.
Watch what's been happening with US bank stocks.
RickW
4 years ago
Historical Perspective?
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/nazis_and_the_german_economy.htm
RickW
4 years ago
Meant to add this:
http://www.ctv.ca:80/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071025/WFIVE_chinafood_071027/20071027?hub=WFive
People in general really have little idea......
ME2
4 years ago
On keeping the US Dollar afloat.
The call for the US to stop buyng from China is just another recurrence of the perennial isolationist urge the Yanks are prone to.
Remember them taking sledgehammers to imported Japanese cars a few years back?
Like China, Japan also owns huge piles of increasingly worthless US Treasury bills. Despite its still ailing economic situation, it can't redeem them lest they bring down the whole house of cards.
China sees the same trap, and has been dumping T Bills as fast as it can, and as it gains economic strength, faces less risk in getting rid of them.
Since the world's currencies are based upon the US Dollar, the world's banks have been backing it, just as an insurance company will apportion out an individual risk too big for it honor to a number of other insurers.
But the world is slowly switching to Euros as the medium of exchange, and among themselves Arabic nations are using Gold.
The US quarrel with Iran has little to do with nukes, terrorism or anything else. Their problem derives from the Iranian Oil Bourse, which is their intention to accept only Euros in receipt for oil. Saddam had made the same threat.
If Iran gets away with it, others will follow, and the Dollar's a dead duck.
clubofrome
4 years ago
Friends
The US has many friends and those who aren't freindly enough get a quick boot in the head reminding them who their new best buddy is. The biggest bully will eventually fall and fall hard, but not before everyone has tar sand kicked in their face. The US as world police. Have guns will travel. They guard the taps. They also have a 21 million barrel a day habit. They are the most dangerous junkie on the planet. No one gets to just decide they will now switch to Euro's to buy oil. Not without a major tantrum by the most heavily armed bully in history. That's one investment that will be protected in the name of freedom and democarcy at any cost.
morechatter
4 years ago
58000 Gallons of fuel spilled?
Well that can't be to good for our environment and wildlife and with 58,000 gallons of fuel washing up on the beaches. I guess with the recent deal to explore for oil/gas on our costal shores here in BC will now make us a player. It would be wise for Canadians to get their governments to create an office for spill protection and prevention as they have done in the States since Harper has decided its okay for the USA to explore for fuel on Canadian shores. It wouln't help them much but I guess it better than nothing.