Collaborative Proposal Creation
Create, improve and sponsor proposals in a respectful, fully bilingual environment. Grow proposals in the "Hothouse", for promotion to the "Workshop", to become official GPC policy.
- 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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Reference: PVC-PROP-2023-08-4150
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Conversation with Clement Kent
I'm glad to see this proposal, but conflicted, as other commenters are, about the focus on "animal". The use of fly-over or satellite spectroscopy for methane detection suggests there is a cost-effective way to measure and tax/regulate methane emissions. While this is a smaller target than the current proposal, the disproportionate effect of methane as a GHG makes it important. Of course we know that fossil fuel production is a major methane polluter. Could this be rephrased to focus on all methane emitters, regardless of economic sector?
If methane detection can be done reliably (last I knew this was still a major problem, but maybe things have changed), I would get behind this one for sure. Ruminants are much worse as far as methane production than other animals we eat, and there's also a hierarchy of how much feed is consumed (having been grown first) with poultry much lower than beef. There is promising research into reducing the methane produced by ruminants through diet. Something like this could encourage adoption, if that's feasible.
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