University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver said the Liberal government's budget update last week was disappointing, but he doesn't regret opposing the New Democratic Party in the May election.
“It definitely wasn't an environmental budget, that was obvious,” said Weaver. “Is it throwing everything out? No. Is it an environmental budget? No.”
The budget did keep the carbon tax in place, and putting a transparent price on emissions from burning fossil fuels is the single best thing governments can do to fight climate change, Weaver said. During the election Carole James' NDP campaigned against that tax, so Weaver allowed the Liberal candidate running against her in Victoria-Beacon Hill to use a statement from him in phone messages to potential voters.
“I was very, very upset, as were many others in the environmental movement, including Tzeporah Berman, including David Suzuki, about the fact the NDP came out and attacked a policy with nothing to back it up,” said Weaver. “To see this cynical, knee-jerk, disingenuous campaign was deeply offensive to many people.”
He added, “It was not strong leadership. It was just being opportunistic. They were opposing for the sake of opposing and that is wrong.”
After the election the NDP appointed Victoria-Swan Lake MLA Rob Fleming as environment critic, a move Weaver said he hopes signals a new direction. Weaver said Fleming seems to understand climate change and to be committed to fighting it, as does Liberal Environment minister Barry Penner. “If they're working together to put the environment ahead of politics it would be great for B.C..”
The government can do a lot for the environment without spending much money, said Weaver. Environmentalists will be watching closely to see if new coal mines and a proposed pipeline to carry oil from Alberta's tar sands to the Pacific win approvals, he said. If approved, both projects would contribute to global warming.
“The environment is not figuring enough,” Weaver said, but added, “I would be far more concerned if they began to introduce new incentives to explore offshore oil and gas.”
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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Skywalker
2 years ago
Rationalizing Campbell
Doesn't matter what you say, you got Campbell now stop your incessant whining.
Skywalker
2 years ago
Furthermore
Voting for a cash grab "carbon tax" which inflicts more pain on the average all the while knowing you have to put up with all the other Campbell Liberal shite is not opportunism? It's opportunism of the worst kind when everyone takes a beating on everything else just so you have one thing you like in your ivory green tower.
seth
2 years ago
what a putz
I'd love to kick this moron's ass. Can't he read? He has zero knowledge of economics but puts himself out as an expert. This is the same thing he kicks around retired dentists for doing on the global warming issue.
Perhaps somebody could link him up with an actual "nobel" prize winning economist Paul Krugman who showed Carole James' cap n' trade was superior to his sidekick self styled 'economist' from a backwater university Mark Jaccard's carbon tax.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/opinion/18krugman.html?_r=3
"The budget did keep the carbon tax in place, and putting a transparent price on emissions from burning fossil fuels is the single best thing governments can do to fight climate change"
Can you believe the utter stupidity of that statement. How about replacing all fossil fuel sources with nuclear electricity, requiring all home heating go electric, tripling transit availability, passing an all electric vehicle law, a mandatory 3 day work week and telecommuting law. There are a thousand thing government can do that are a lot more effective than a silly carbon tax that people don't even know they are paying.
There are few alternatives out there to fossil fuel Carbon tax or no Carbon tax because Weaver's pal Gordo is wasting all our treasure doubling our electric rates on hideously expensive Pirate Power while gas costs drop precipitously. Instead of spending on transit, home insulation, solar heating, electric/natural gas vehicle incentives, led lighting, nuclear power he's handing our bucks over to BC Liberal party hacks over at Pirate Power and to California residents who get to buy our expensive power real cheap every spring.
NicS
2 years ago
NDP lost the Greenwash Battle
The NDP was right in its assessment of the sincerity of the BC Liberals Carbon Tax, but politically wrong to go against it. They simply miscalculated the urgency and steadfastness of the Climate Change agenda.
I believe they only lost the election by 3500 votes, which I am told is better than 2005 when it was more than 6000 votes. Mind you if there had not been the coverup around the deficit, the NDP would have probably won.
On balance I don't think Carol James would have made a bad leader. If you like the hierarchical old boys style of Campbell and company, the hide it from the ignorant public style of governance, then you got who you voted for.
However, despite the BCNDP's difficulties, I would take Jame's more consensus style of gov't any day over the paternalistic, 'you'll do as you're told' style of Campbell.
Oddly, this brings to mind Tzeporah Berman's style, who according to one well known grass roots envrionmentalist, has the same style as Gordon Campbell. The other area they are similar in is their complete lack of transparency. So we can't effectively challenge them.
I find this disturbing because of the huge corporate interests that Berman obviously represents in supporting the Independant Power Projects (IPP) here in BC. Of course Berman claims to be compromising the Tar Sands in favour of the cleaner IPP's. This also is the choice that American Enviros have already made.
So I ask you, is British Columbia the sacrificial lamb here. The American Enviros, Tzeporah Berman, IPP's all get what they want and many British Columbians and Albertans don't.
That's politics, eh?
Skywalker
2 years ago
NiS
You are wrong. Had the NDP had any other leader with a flair for communicating an idea or a communicating the flaw in an idea in a way that sounded plausible, there would have been a different outcome. Carbon tax is a scam and it would not have taken a good communicater long to tell the public why.
NicS
2 years ago
Skywalker
It has nothing to do with being wrong or right. At this point I would rather hear people's opinions, including yours.
With the vote margin having been so close and with "after the fact" vision, there are probably a hundred excellent reasons why the NDP lost and that doesn't mean you have to implement them all to win the next election. If you get rid of Carol James, you have to replace her with someone who is more effective than her. Right now, I don't know who that would be, but I suppose we will find out soon enough.
As for the Carbon Tax scam, because I agree that it was, its over with now. The NDP is pretty much over it and besides it would be like crying over spilt milk. As for the enviros in BC, many of them are still stuck on the Carbon Tax. The NDP has four years to figure out a winning strategy and it is clear the carbon tax is not going to win anymore votes than last time, besides, the issues will likely be very different in 2013.
freebear
2 years ago
Take a year off ENGO's and see if your'e missed!
I would suggest all enviros announce they are taking a year off and it will be up to us individual citizens to keep and eye on things!
Then see if politics takes advantage or the citizens step up!
As for crying about Gordo, those so-called ENGO's who supported the Liberal platform, especially the 'pull the wool over their eyes' Carbon Tax, can go suck a tail pipe!
Frank
2 years ago
Weaver must have majored in comedy
Every time I think of Andrew Weaver I have to stifle a chuckle.
Your main man Gordon Campbell has sure been good to the environment eh Andrew?
Enviros supporting Campbell would be like social justice advocates supporting Bush.
But then again the social justice advocates have some sense, Weaver, Berman and Suzuki have little.