The U.S. economy grew at a rate of 4.1 per cent in the second quarter – blistering hot economic growth to be sure, but at what cost to the environment?
Well, it will probably be a surprise to you to read that the U.S. is actually the world leader in cutting carbon dioxide emissions! From 2016 to 2017, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions fell by 41.8 million tons, marking the third year in a row the U.S. reduced its CO2 emissions. Over the last 10 years, from 2006-16, the U.S. has actually slashed its total carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 12 per cent. The U.S. reductions are just over double the next nearest nation in the study (Ukraine).
These CO2 emission reductions are a result of three factors:
• The U.S. is converting much of its power generation to use natural gas instead of coal.
• The U.S. is also adding massive capacity in renewable energy production.
• Finally, the U.S. is making big progress in improving its utilization of electric energy.
Other nations that howled when the U.S. dropped out of the Paris accords have spent the last year condemning the U.S. while they were also busy increasing their own CO2 emissions. For example, emissions in Spain were up by 18.7 million tons, France saw an increase of 5.5 million tons, and those environmental crusaders, the Chinese, saw a whopping increase of 119 million tons.
Of course, Canada has done much better. After all, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted that: “Canada is unwavering in our commitment to fight climate change and support clean economic growth. Canadians know we need to take decisive and collective action to tackle the many harsh realities of our changing climate.”
Unfortunately, like so much the Liberal federal government does, there is a lot of talk and very little action. Canada’s emissions of carbon dioxide in 2017 were actually 17 million tons higher than emissions in 2016. On a per capita basis, Canada’s increase in CO2 emissions is one of the worst performances of any industrial nation on the planet. So much for Trudeau’s “unwavering commitment.” I think it is becoming painfully obvious to most Canadians that our prime minister is a babbling clown who couldn’t organize a two-car funeral if his life depended on it.
When Donald Trump took office, he soon realized that the Paris Accords had precious little to do with environmental protection, and everything to do with trying to transfer a massive portion of America’s wealth to other nations. Under his campaign theme of “America First,” it was inevitable that Trump would walk away from this agreement. Unfortunately, Trump is also looking at foreign trade patterns, and he’s likely to target Canada as someone who has engaged in “unfair” trade.
With Justin Trudeau defending our borders, I fear Canada is looking at a long, cold, lonely winter.
Brian McLeod is a St. Albert resident.
