British Columbians Support Carbon Taxes, What's Holding Up the Rest of You?

A FINE IDEA, BUNGLED - THANKS JACK

I'm republishing this because it's an important development and I sent it out last night and it appears to have gotten lost in the typical morning shuffle.   The story is important because it dispels the cynicism that the public won't support measures to combat global warming.   I've had my fill of that nonsense from reformatories and supposed progressives alike.

A solid majority of British Columbians surveyed by the Pembina Institute support their provincial government's carbon taxation.   Here are some of the findings:

"[BC'ers] are worried (69%) about global warming and support (70%) the province being a leader in takingaction to solve the problem.
• Believe that reducing greenhouse gas pollution helps grow (36%), or has little impact (44%) on,
British Columbia’s economy.
• Feel the carbon tax has had positive (33%) or neutral (41%) consequences for B.C.
• Support (69%) a carbon tax that is applied to all sources of pollution that cause global warming,
instead of only to fossil fuel combustion (as is now the case).
• Want to see at least some carbon tax revenue being invested in clean energy projects (49%) and
other priorities like health care and education (56%).
• Support (71%) carbon taxes as one of their top three ways for government to collect tax revenue
(second in popularity to corporate taxes) and have some support (29%) for post-2012 carbon tax
increases."

To get a solid, consistent 70 plus % popular support for a tax is profound.  We like it, we would like to see it extended to all pollution causing global warming, and we think that, next only to corporate taxes, carbon taxes are a great way to collect tax revenue.

The funny thing is the government hasn't really peddled the carbon tax.   There's been no hard sell, no manipulation.   People just seem to understand it's the right thing to do.   I expect most, if not all, of those same people also understand that Athabasca is the wrong thing to do and that running toxic bitumen-laden supertankers through the pristine but treacherous waters of northern B.C. is even worse.

I think prime minister Lardarse (along with the Libs and NDP) should take note of the Pembina survey results.   Maybe that would give him some idea of what lies in store if he tries to ram that Northern Gateway project down our throats.

The Pembina study shows that the old saw about public rejection of carbon taxes was just a straw man set up by an awful lot of dodgy pols on the right - and on the left.