BusinessWeek

Canada hopes to achieve a North American climate-change deal with U.S. president-elect Barack Obama, the country’s foreign affairs minister said Wednesday.

“European Union leaders will set a tight timetable this week for adopting ambitious energy policy reforms and measures to fight climate change despite some sharp differences over how to achieve those goals.”

The Guardian

Solving climate change will be the most expensive public policy decision ever. Half-baked thinking won’t fix it now.

One commonly repeated argument for doing something about climate change sounds compelling, but turns out to be almost fraudulent. It is based on comparing the cost of action with the cost of inaction, and almost every major politician in the world uses it.

Toronto Star

Curbing climate change will be the hot topic as Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders gather today in Quebec City for their annual summer conference.

The Globe and Mail

The expert panel that in many ways triggered this summer’s polarized political debate over carbon taxes will release a report this fall – possibly on the eve of a federal election – on whether the controversial policy is the best way to fight climate change.

canada.com

More than 100 climate scientists are urging the Canadian government to accelerate efforts to fight climate change.

Globe and Mail

Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the idea crazy, and the reaction of big business was mixed, but the votes that matter for Stéphane Dion and his new Green Plan exist on the other end of the political spectrum.

The Liberal Leader staked his political future Thursday on a controversial plan that, experts say, is an effort to win support on the splintered left. The plan, which balances $15-billion in carbon taxes with an equivalent cut in income taxes, will be a main plank in an election campaign that at least some Liberals now believe will come in the fall.

The European Commission slashed Poland’s proposed limit on carbon dioxide (CO2) emission permits for 2008-2012 by more than a quarter on Monday, setting up a battle with Warsaw over its plan to fight climate change.

The European Union executive also cut the Czech Republic’s proposed cap by 14.8 percent, while it accepted the emissions limits proposed by France.

UTIL POINT

An overview of some of the problems impeding the success of America in adopting a “green” sensibility to its policies and practices.

Source: Toronto Star

Toronto is looking to penalize those that idle their vehicles unnecessarily with a fine of $100 plus a $25 provincial surcharge.