WEF says governments syphoned $104 billion in carbon taxes last year

Alex Dhaliwal
  |   June 07, 2024   |   Be the first to comment

The World Economic Forum (WEF) boasted Wednesday that governments globally collected $104 billion in carbon taxes last year to combat 'climate change.'

"Carbon pricing can be one of the most powerful tools to help countries reduce emissions. That’s why it is good to see these instruments expand to new sectors, become more adaptable and complement other measures," said World Bank managing director Axel van Trotsenburg.

The globalist entity claimed carbon taxes and emissions trading systems account for 24% of the world’s emissions — up from 7% in 2013.

However, that’s not enough, said the report. Less than 1% of global emissions are now subject to a carbon tax.

In response to an order paper submitted last year by Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis, parliamentarians learned Trudeau’s government paid the WEF $493,937 to write a favourable report on the carbon tax. 

"Global interest groups should not be trusted to care about the prosperity of Canadians," she said on March 18.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) claims the 2020 New Nature Economy Report established the "business and economic case for safeguarding nature."

"This report will be directed at senior decision-makers in governments and businesses who have the influence and ability to shift business-as-usual" approaches, writes department analysts.

However, a 2023 report, Emission Reductions Through Greenhouse Gas Regulations, depicted federal climate programs as 'guesswork.'

"The federal government does not know whether it is using the right tools to reduce emissions," wrote Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco.

"Solutions exist," he said, "such as renewing the government’s fleet with zero-emission vehicles or implementing effective fiscal and regulatory measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

DeMarco contends the federal government implements solutions "much too slowly."

Adding insult to injury, Budget Officer Yves Giroux confirmed a gag order had been placed on all carbon tax data from his office.

"The government has economic analysis on the impact of the carbon tax itself and the [output-based pricing system]," he testified before the finance committee.

"We’ve seen that, staff in my office, but we’ve been told explicitly not to disclose and reference it," Giroux said.

The WEF's New Nature Economy Report contends fiscal policy will not achieve a "nature-positive, low-carbon" economy, advocating additional measures.

"To make nature-positive models investable, explicitly pricing in and articulating environmental cost factors to penalize unsustainable practices—such as through carbon taxes, for example—will be a game changer," it says.

On May 21, a Department of Environment manager admitted the carbon tax had minimal impact in reducing emissions.

John Moffet, the assistant deputy minister, said the fuel tax likely affected only a third of emissions at best, reported Blacklock’s Reporter. 

Associate Deputy Environment Minister, Lawrence Hanson, clarified the carbon tax only reduced emissions by 1%.

The environment department has been faulted time again for not explaining the impact of carbon taxes and other measures. 

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault pledged to do better. "We continue to work to refine our reporting," he said. 

The National Inventory Report released on May 2 confirmed emissions in 2022, the most recent available data, increased 9.3 million tonnes year over year to 708 million tonnes. Emissions last declined in 2020 due to pandemic lockdowns.

Commissioner DeMarco told the Senate energy committee last year that Canada is "up 14 percent since 1990."

"Canada is the only G7 country that has not achieved any emission reduction since 1990," he said. "That needs to change now."

The Canada Climate Institute estimated 2021 carbon emissions at 691 megatonnes, owing to less activity across various sectors and oil and gas production levels.

Statistics Canada and Simon Fraser University's Canadian Energy and Emissions Data Centre data show Canada produced 738 megatonnes of carbon emissions before the pandemic.

National Inventory figures showed only Alberta and Saskatchewan had emission declines year over year. Both provinces have opposed the carbon tax as costly and ineffective.

The tax is currently worth 12¢ per litre of propane, 15¢ per cubic metre of natural gas, 18¢ per litre of gasoline, 20¢ per litre of aviation fuel and 25¢ per litre of heating oil. A 23% increase is due next April 1.

Alex Dhaliwal

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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.

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