Last December, the columnist Francis Vailles informed us of the significant pollution caused by the 1% of the richest1 ; the latter pollute 19 times more than the bottom 50% and nine times more than the middle class.
Posted at 4:00 p.m.
In January, François Delorme – an IPCC collaborator – came to the same conclusion. The conclusion is firm: it takes a carbon budget to discipline the rich.
Before going into the details, let’s take a look at the main eco-taxation measure: the carbon tax.
At the federal level, as with the carbon exchange in Quebec, major polluters must pay for the carbon they emit. This mechanism aims to reduce the pollution generated by companies. For example, polluting materials such as steel and concrete thus become more costly for companies. They are thus forced to turn to less polluting materials such as wood, reducing their carbon impact, while maximizing their profit.
The higher the carbon tax, the greener our businesses will be.
However, this tax also has the effect of increasing the general level of prices; part of the bill is passed on to consumers. This is also why governments are so timid and under-use eco-taxation.
To counter this aspect, the federal government offers a tax credit to low-income families and individuals. Moreover, most households receive more money than they pay1. The Government of Quebec has opted for another approach: reinvest the money from the carbon tax in the energy transition.
That said, although this approach makes our businesses greener, there is no guarantee that individuals will reduce their polluting emissions, especially the wealthy to be honest. The latter often do not have a constrained budget. This means that an increase in the carbon tax, and therefore in the level of prices, will not necessarily lead to a reduction in the quantity consumed (therefore in GHG emitted). I doubt that the price at the pump is a deciding factor for the purchase of a Maserati.
The problem lies in the fact that with the objective of carbon neutrality by 2050, we will have to reduce our GHG emissions drastically. The carbon tax is a tool of choice to achieve this. However, if the richest continue to pollute excessively, the middle class will have to tighten its belt even more. This seems ethically unjustifiable to me. How should wealth allow an individual to pollute as he pleases?
This is where the carbon budget takes root. While the carbon tax aims to reduce pollution from our businesses, the carbon budget puts a ceiling on the emissions of the wealthy.
This would allow us to avoid living in a world at the blade runner where only the rich would allow themselves to pollute, and therefore to consume.
The logistics of a carbon budget can seem complex. But let’s be honest, we know the amount of iron in Nutella… but not the amount of carbon involved in the production of certain goods, when that means the death of thousands of innocent people every year.
In this sense, each item should be labeled with its carbon footprint, so that during our purchases, the amount of carbon consumed would be listed on our invoice, under the GST and QST. It would not be a financial cost, but a cost drawn from another budget: our carbon budget. The latter could be visible through our banking platform, just as we see our credit card balance. Balance used, balance remaining.
The average pollution of an inhabitant of the Earth amounts to four tons of GHG; this number reaches 10 in Quebec and 20 in Canada. The emissions cap could (should) decrease annually in order to converge on a more morally justifiable amount, say five tonnes by 2050. Of course, parents would be offered a more generous carbon budget, and our elders could be exempt. .
This proposal may seem bold, but it is only a big solution to a big problem.
Considering the silent killer that is the climate crisis, as well as the radical changes required to stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius, it becomes imperative to act. However, nothing obliges us to have an uneven transition; let’s make this transition an inclusive world where all can prosper. A carbon budget is one step closer to this ideal.