Marrying Conservation and Economic Growth : A How-To Guide
Thunder Bay – Superior North MP Bruce Hyer
Canada is at a turning point when it comes to resource development and conservation.
I’m an ecologist and conservationist by training. Born in the United States, I helped coordinate the first Earth Day and create the first Department of Environmental Protection. I worked to establish protective zoning for farms and wetlands there. I moved to Northern Ontario to lobby for sustainable forestry, wildlife conservation and the creation of protected areas for biodiversity. Conservation is a way of life in Northwestern Ontario. We are blessed to live in one of the most naturally beautiful regions in the world. It is a point of pride for all of us – and an economic generator!
Conservation used to be the foundation of the Canadian approach to resource development. The public ownership of our natural resources, including our minerals, forests and waters, is a testament to that.
I’m a pragmatist. I know that we’re not going to stop using oil overnight. The necessary transition to renewable energy must be deliberate and steady.
Too often, the debate today is characterized as us vs. them, conservationists vs. developers, the environment vs. the economy. It’s a trap set for us by those without the imagination to see that economic and environmental solutions go hand in hand. “Ecology” and “economy” both come from the Greek word “oikos.”
We can’t have a sustainable economy without an ethic of conservation. A refusal to consider the impacts of resource development on our ecosystems will wreck our economy, costing the next generation – as well as our own – tens of billions of dollars. It isn’t a just an ethical question – it’s an economic one.
If conservation and economic growth are intertwined, how to bridge the gap?
First, we must recommit to the Canadian ethic of conservation. Deep and sustained cuts to Parks and Environment Canada under this government must be reversed.Scientists must be unmuzzled and allowed to lead policy development. We must reinvigorate the now-gutted Environmental Assessment Act.
Second, we need a National Energy Strategy. Canada is the only major industrialized country with no national energy strategy, just patchwork provincial and federal regulations. Unbelievable, when so much of our economy depends on natural resources and energy production. A national energy strategy should support renewable power and show leadership in a growing clean energy economy. It might also allow us to put Canadian energy first, using our strategic energy resources to meet domestic energy needs before we further increase exports.
Third, we must invest in sustainable technologies. Fossil fuel companies now have a subsidized advantage over clean-tech entrepreneurs. We need to support innovation and fund enterprises that are developing green projects.
Finally, we must initiate a stable, progressive transition to renewable energy. We do this by supporting green technology, and by leveraging the free market to reduce demand for carbon-intensive products. Carbon Fee & Dividend is a simple, transparent, revenue-neutral carbon pricing system that would be easy and inexpensive to administer. Polluters would pay for their carbon emissions at the source, and the revenue generated from these payments will be paid directly to consumers on an equal per capita basis. Carbon Fee & Dividend will use the marketplace to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, guiding Canada toward a transition to sustainable energy, and benefitting Canadian consumers. (I will send more information on this if you email me directly at Bruce@BruceHyer.ca).
These four goals go hand in hand. We can develop our resources sustainably, and make Canada a global leader in conservation. We must put an end to the false division between conservation and economic growth. Then we can truly leverage the potential of Canada’s natural resources.
