Tutorial 1: Sustainability and EDI

Question 1

What are some societal issues related to sustainable development?

Answer 1

1. Environmental protection
2. Technological challenges (e.g. technology readiness level, TRL)
3. Economic feasibility (e.g. cost of CO2 mitigation $/t-CO2)
4. Social justice, (e.g. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). Impact and
   benefit to different countries, regions and groups of people,
   responsibility, affordability and distribution of finance, taxation
   and subsidies

Question 2

What is the difference between equity and equality?

Answer 2

Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same
resources or opportunities.

• Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates
  the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.

Question 3

What are approaches to how the GHG reductions should be distributed across nations?

Answer 3

Absolute reduction by developed countries and carbon intensity (per GDP)
reduction by developing countries.

Question 4

Who should pay for GHG reduction? Name one approach discussed in class.

Answer 4

An commitment by developed countries to jointly mobilize $100
billion per year by 2020 in support of climate action in developing
countries. (In 2020, based on the latest OECD data, developed
countries provided $83.3 billion. Only 8 percent of the total went to
low-income countries and about a quarter to Africa, even though both
are highly vulnerable to climate change and home to the majority of
people in poverty.)

Question 5

Who will provide the technology to address the unfair burden of climate change?

Answer 5

A Free license of technologies to developing countries.

Question 6

What is a carbon tax?

Answer 6

• “Green tax”
• “Revenue-neutral tax”
• Either a direct across-the-board levy on fossil fuels or a tax based
  on CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions.

Question 7

What is the purpose of a carbon tax?

Answer 7

• The idea is both to change consumer behaviour and set aside a
  fund to help smooth the transition to a cleaner economy.

Question 8

What is the perception of a carbon tax from environmental groups?

Answer 8

• Most environmental groups have long been in favour of a carbon
  tax as a way of changing consumer behaviour and getting industry
  to be more energy efficient.

Question 9

What is a global carbon tax? Who was it proposed by?

Answer 9

• Proposed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, of Columbia University.
• such a tax, of up to 35 cents a gallon in richer countries, would raise
  $750 billion US for the UN and could be used to eliminate Third
  World poverty and disease.

Question 10

What are the benefits of a global carbon tax?

Answer 10

Changes destructive environmental behaviour and it
would be welcomed by privately-owned utilities so they
can justify clean technology to their profit-demanding shareholders.

Question 11

What is the BC “revenue-neutral carbon tax”

Answer 11

Any levies that would be extracted from a particular sector,
transportation for example, would be given back in some other form of
subsidy or tax break, that would reward more fuel-efficient behaviour.

Question 12

Quebec carbon tax

Answer 12

• Quebec imposed a direct levy on the fuel suppliers on all nonrenewable fossil fuels sold in bulk to retailers.
• Collected carbon tax will be used to set a clean energy fund to
  support the clean energy and energy efficiency technology
  development.

Question 13

How can EDI issues be addressed for a carbon tax?

Answer 13

• Provide a rebate to low-income groups. Tax neutral via
  transfer/rebate

Question 14

How can EDI be addressed in devising the EV incentive programs?

Answer 14

1. Access and affordability
   * Institute an income cap on rebates, and provide an incentive scale
   based on income. (like the other programs, e.g. childcare/daycare
   program).
   * Give an extra rebate or purchase voucher to low-income buyers (e.g.
   less than 300% of the federal poverty level) to lower the initial cost of
   the EV.
2. Promote EVs adoption
3. Increase infrastructure support (e.g. charging stations) and support
   for low-income car-sharing programs.
4. Retail establishments, residential buildings, and employers should be
   given subsidies and tax breaks for providing charging stations.
5. Install chargers in underserved areas at the same level as more
   affluent areas.

Question 15

What is the current problem with EV incentives?

Answer 15

Current incentives disproportionately reward high-income
people who can afford to purchase EVs despite their high upfront cost.