SIDS and the rising seasBy Martin Bush
Small island developing states should be well advanced by now in planning for climate change. A crucial decision is to move disaster response agencies and key ministeries inland and away from the coast. Schools need to be retrofitted as community protection centres powered by photovoltaic solar energy. Communication systems need to be storm-proof.
SIDS and the carbon budgetBy Martin Bush
The IPCC report on global warming has a grim warning for small islands--where the hammer of climate change will fall the hardest. At the same time, the Earth's carbon budget is depleting fast as emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise.
What’s in the carbon toolbox?By Martin Bush
What's the best way to bring down emissions of greenhouse gases? Economists assert that a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade mechanism is the best way to achieve substantial emission reductions. But there is solid evidence that regulatory measures and legislating standards work faster and achieve deeper cuts.
Global warming heats upBy Martin Bush
The IPCC's report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 degrees sets out the disastrous consequences of government inaction. Pathways to limiting global warming are possible--with a massive transition to renewable energy and the phasing out of coal.
Knee-capping OntarioBy Martin Bush
Ontario's new provincial government has acted recklessly and irresponsibly in shutting down the cap-and-trade emissions trading scheme the province set up with Quebec and California. Cap and trade has substantially reduced Ontario's emissions of greenhouse gases, and carbon revenues have financed strong growth in energy efficiency and state-of-the-art low-carbon technologies. This progress has now ground to a halt.
