Collaborative Proposal Creation
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Amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to include emissions from animal agriculture, the top or second-largest emitter
- Proposal text
- The GPC supports revising the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to include all GHG emissions from the animal agriculture industry.
- Type of Proposal
- Public policy that the party would represent
- Objective / Benefit
- Animal agriculture is either the largest or second-largest carbon emitter globally of any industry. The IPCC estimated livestock rearing's global emissions contributions to be 14.5%. However, studies using top-down measurement rather than bottom-up approaches including land use and deforestation have shown the number is closer to 37% of all global GHG emissions coming from animal agriculture. Amending the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to include emissions from animal agriculture would send a clear price signal to this heavily-polluting industry and would help Canada reach net-zero emissions much faster.
- If your proposal replaces an existing policy or policies, which one does it replace?
- Add to current GPC policy.
- List any supporting evidence for your proposal
- 1. Animal agriculture's emissions are chronically underestimated. The IPCC says 14.5% but this comprehensive study shows the number is closer to 37% https://sentientmedia.org/the-climate-crisis-secret/ 2. "You Want to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Food? Focus on What You Eat, Not Whether Your Food Is Local,” Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local 3. Climate change: 'Global veganisation is now a survival imperative' - IPCC expert reviewer https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/468715/climate-change-global-veganisation-is-now-a-survival-imperative-ipcc-expert-reviewer 4. Interactive: What is the climate impact of eating meat and dairy? https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/what-is-the-climate-impact-of-eating-meat-and-dairy/ 5. Meat and dairy provide just 18% of calories and 37% of protein, uses the vast majority – 83% – of farmland and producing 60% of agriculture's direct GHG emissions. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216
- Does this proposal affect any particular group and what efforts have been made to consult with the group or groups?
- N/A
- Jurisdiction: Is this proposal under federal jurisdiction?
- Yes
- Please indicate the language the proposal is being submitted in.
- English
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Conversation with James Mihaychuk
It is a worthwhile proposal, but I would prefer to see the stimulus that provokes a regulatory response be based in specific observational evidence. The capability for remote sensing of GHG emissions from ground and space keeps advancing. On that basis, there can be enforceable penalties for bad actors and incentives for those who show improvements. I think that kind of evidence-based carrot-and-stick approach would less vulnerable to the inevitable legal challenges to laws and regulations.
Very useful criticism. Could you propose some specific text to this end, and I'll happily implement it?
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