There is so much wrong with this David Suzuki interview on Evan Solomon’s Power and Politics, that it would take way more typing to fully cover it than my recovering wrist will allow.
However the following portion made my head explode.
Around the 3:00 mark Evan is questioning Dr. Fruit Fly about the link between Kyoto, climate change and the economy. Suzuki is trying to make the case for an improved economy if a tax is put on carbon.
At 3:51 Suzuki responds to the Harper Government’s more pragmatic environmental stance at Copenhagen, by calling it a ‘bunch of nonsense’ and it’s just ‘all words’.
Suzuki then gives the example of how Sweden supposedly had lower GHG emissions and an improved economy after introducing a carbon tax - and then he goes off on a very scary and angry tirade against the Canadian Government.
Solomon them attempts to provide a smidgen of balance by reminding him about the decision in France to let the carbon tax legislation die.
Suzuki’s response?
Wait for it.
“I’m not French. I don’t know”.
So what are you? Swedish?
Keep your lights on tonight for Earth Hour, Canada!!! David Suzuki’s are clearly dimming.
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Bonus: See if you can find Suzuki’s Stephane Dion put-down further on in the segment.
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Sunday Update
Big Liberal Thinkers want a carbon tax!!! Hang onto your wallets, Canada. (H/T Bruce and other attentive readers)
Liberals hear call for carbon tax – Gazette
Liberals across the country tweet carbon tax debate – Stephen Maher, CH
Tough issues grip Grits – Chronicle Herald:
…McKenna said Liberals are particularly “gun shy” about proposing anything controversial since the 2008 carbon tax fiasco.
Yet during an environmental panel later Saturday, imposition of a carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions seemed to be a popular idea.
Panellist Steven Guilbeault of Equiterre said he was pleasantly surprised.
“I’m happy that there are so many people here who are willing to talk about this because at the end of the day it’s one of the most efficient measures you can use if you actually want to start reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” he said in an interview.
Ignatieff, who first proposed a carbon tax during the 2006 Liberal leadership, has since said he won’t revive an idea that’s been so decisively rejected by voters. He now advocates a cap and trade system instead.
But panellist Michael Phelps, board chairman of the GLOBE Foundation, said a carbon tax is a much simpler and more effective way to influence consumer behaviour.
“I’d be standing on a soapbox saying, ‘Use less carbon, you’re going to pay for it,’ ” he said.
Oh dear. What will the Waffle do?
Inconvenient questions – Lorrie Goldstein
Why Sarkozy Dropped His Beloved Carbon Tax - Time Magazine (Pay attention now, David Suzuki):
…The President maintains he is only delaying application of the tax until the E.U. comes up with a similar initiative applicable to all member states. “Environmental dumping threatens our jobs, [and] it would be absurd to tax French companies while giving a competitive advantage to those in polluting countries,” Sarkozy argued, saying he remained committed to a carbon tax as a necessary move to protect the environment — though only once nations “who continue to pollute without shame” agree to become as virtuous.
How likely is that to happen? Not very, according to media reports in France. French newspapers and television news channels said Sarkozy’s address meant the carbon tax was “dead and buried” — most of all because of the high improbability of all 27 E.U. members voting in an identical measure…
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Can we trust the ‘Climategate’ inquiry? – Telegraph:
…What Lord Oxburgh kept quiet about, however, is that he is also a director and vice-chairman of a strange little private company few of us had heard of known as Globe International. The name stands for “Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment”, and it describes itself as a worldwide network to lobby governments to take more drastic action on climate change…
They try to keep a low profile.
And look who’s president of Globe Canada.

