Polluter Pays

 The ideas proposed in The Leap Manifesto sound like an effective solution to curb carbon footprint and make the switch to renewable energy. It first focuses on respecting indigenous Canadian communities and recognizing their role in protecting the planet from the consequences of industrial activity. It advertises racial and gender equality, higher wages, and fewer work hours, and a quick trip to the FAQ page leads you to a document showcasing how affordable all these proposals really are. The point that stuck with me the most was that “the money we need to pay for this great transformation is available – we just need the right policies to release it.”  

The plan to put a tax on carbon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is proposed to raise $16 billion a year, but it is argued that the tax should be increased to generate more than $80 billion a year to truly impact the consumption and investment of households and businesses. This is the best way to hold everyone accountable for their energy choices, and it is the part of the manifesto that would generate the most funds to go towards the necessary infrastructure changes. We are almost encouraged by our wallets to choose the things that do not benefit the environment, but policy changes can push people to make better decisions. For example, I have to manually drive my recycling to a recycling center because I would rather not pay for the curbside pickup. A policy change and reallocation of budget to make that free would likely incentivize people to recycle more if they don’t have it in their means to pay for that service.  

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