Naysayers say carbon pricing will not reduce emissions and instead will pinch household budgets, kill jobs and enrich governments. They may be right about carbon pricing, but not for above stated reasons. Naysayers will never speak the whole truth - 80 per cent of emissions from a barrel of oil comes from consumption and 20 per cent is generated from production of crude.
Non-renewable energy emitters or types of "dirty" energy will not define growth or decline of emissions. Rather definers will be consumerism and increasing world population. World population is estimated to top nine billion people by 2040, and demand for energy will increase by 27 per cent.
The most egregious and hypocritical of climate deniers and consumerism are the wealthy through climate of greed and greed denial.
One example is Chinese Communist hypocrisy and oxymoron of absence of social classes and money – all (or nearly all) property and resources are collectively owned by a classless society and not by individual citizens. Yet there has been a sharp increase in the number of "new wealth" individuals.
Even with restrictions on what monies can leave the country and Chinese leaders clamping down on extreme ostentation displays of wealth have found ways, as many wealthy do, to circumvent rules. One city they choose to display their wealth is Vancouver for multiple mansions and luxury vehicles purchases. Metro Vancouver has been nicknamed super car capital of the world and University of B.C. has been nicknamed the University of Beautiful Cars. Owners of these same vehicles also buy condos whose only purpose is to house these vehicles.
Betsy DeVos, Trump appointee for education, displays her wealth in 20,000 square foot summer house and $40 million yacht (just one of nine). Most of Trump appointees are wealthy Republicans who choose to use excessive consumption of energy while denying climate change.
Many of the wealthy, environmentalists and those who just don’t care choose to ignore their energy consumption by owning multiple houses, cottages, recreation vehicles, etc. Vacation and snowbird housing like Arizona sit empty for many months of the year while still consuming energy to keep places operational. Housing speculators buy housing waiting for prices to increase but never rent them out.
The wealthy also choose to ignore the human ramifications to their conspicuous consumption. Studies (“The Spirit Level”) have found people are literally less healthy in societies with large gaps between the rich and the rest.
Energy companies have done great work in reducing emissions through technological and efficiency improvements such as zero emissions refineries.
There is no perfect solution for emissions. Solar and wind solutions use rare earth minerals, kill birds and bats and cause illnesses in some humans.
Environmentalists need to focus on consumerism, not just pipelines and oil spills. Naysayers of climate change and carbon pricing need to speak truth to emissions caused by consumerism greed and increasing world populations.
Lin Gackle
