QUEBEC CITY – Flipping through the dozens of leaflets and brochures stuffed into the Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit registration package, Elizabeth May was appalled to discover only one pamphlet printed on recyclable paper.
A group that will be receiving lucrative government subsidies, in part because of the environmental benefits it offers society, needs to start walking the talk, said the leader of the Green Party of Canada.
“If they’re committed on the climate front and they’re not just green opportunists jumping on the bandwagon, then get out in front of some of the other issues,” she said.
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The Green party supports the renewable fuel industry. It is calling for a 10 percent ethanol and biodiesel mandate, up from the federal government’s mandate of five and two percent respectively.
May said the biofuel sector offers a small contribution to a mounting crisis that is second only to nuclear global war in terms of its potentially devastating impact on mankind.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a collection of 2,000 scientists appointed by governments around the world, recently released its fourth major report since 1990.
“They are increasingly dire in their warnings,” said May, adding that the latest document said climate change will bring “abrupt and irreversible changes” to the globe.
The International Energy Agency’s world energy outlook said greenhouse gas emissions will rise 57 percent between 2005 and 2030 if governments stick with existing policies.
To keep global temperatures from climbing more than 2.4 C, carbon dioxide emissions would need to peak by 2015 and fall between 50 and 85 percent below 2000 levels by 2050, stated the report.
May said 2.4 degrees may not sound like much but it is “beyond frightening” considering the difference between today and the ice age is 5 C.
Given the enormity of the problem, the contribution of the biofuel industry will be minimal, which is why May urged delegates attending the summit not to oversell the environmental benefits of their industry.
She also advised them to start acting like a group that is seriously concerned about the environment and not just profit margins.
“There are some credibility issues with the industry,” said May.
“We would love to see the renewable fuels industry weighing in on the public policy issues.”
A good start would be to support the Green party in its call for a carbon tax, which would penalize energy sources that emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“A carbon tax is something that we’re talking about. We’d love you to talk about it,” she told conference delegates.
Jeff Passmore, board member of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, said May raised some valid points and he acknowledged that a carbon tax would be beneficial to the biofuel industry.
Becoming a more outspoken group will be a topic of discussion in future board meetings.
“We’re going to see if we want to be more aggressive on things other than just renewable fuels,” he said.
