Premier François Legault announced his government’s long-awaited plan to tackle climate change on Monday, November 16, after one of the main elements was revealed over the weekend: a ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles, starting in 2035. The government is devoting $6.7 billion over the next five years to deal with climate change. The bulk of that money will go to subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles. (CBC News)
Here are some experts from McGill University that can provide comment on this issue:
Christopher Barrington-Leigh, Associate Professor, Institute for Health and Social Policy and Bieler School of Environment
“Anyone with an intermediate understanding of sustainability could tell you there are notable problems with this policy. Flashy targets and subsidies are the way Canada has effectively ignored climate for decades. In contrast, Quebec has the opportunity to put into place equitable, effective, and positively-oriented alternatives.”
Chris Barrington-Leigh is an Associate Professor cross-appointed to the Institute for Health and Social Policy and the Bieler School of Environment and an Associate Member in the Department of Economics. His research makes use of subjective well-being reports to address the relative importance of social and community-oriented aspects of life as compared with material consumption.
chris.barrington-leigh [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)
Dror Etzion, Associate Professor, Desautels Faculty of Management
“Quebec’s green economy plan is both narrow and uninspiring. It is narrow because it focuses primarily on transportation, virtually ignoring other greenhouse gas emitting sectors such as buildings, agriculture and manufacturing. It is uninspiring because it imagines a transportation future that is no better than our current one. A car-centric province with endless traffic jams, agonizing road-rage and sprawling development is dismal, and experiencing it through the windshield of an electric car is nowhere near enough to make it pleasant. It’s time to integrate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with comprehensive, inspiring policy choices that will promote innovation and improve the quality of Quebecers’ lives.”
Dror Etzion is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Organizations at the Desautels Faculty of Management and an Associate Member of the Bieler School of the Environment. His work suggests that managing for sustainability through local, open, emergent initiatives increases the recruitment of diverse stakeholders, fosters creativity, and yields impactful outcomes.
dror.etzion [at] mcgill.ca (English, Hebrew)
Sébastien Jodoin, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law
“The latest plan for a green economy is a missed opportunity for Quebec. To do its part in the fight against climate change and respect the human rights of its citizens, Quebec must adopt more ambitious measures to initiate a faster transition to carbon-neutrality.”
Sébastien Jodoin is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law and an associate member of the Bieler School of Environment. He holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Human Rights and the Environment. His research focuses on legal and policy solutions to complex environmental and social problems that cut across multiple fields and levels of governance.
sebastien.jodoin-pilon [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)
Audrey Moores, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
“The Quebec government’s green plan is an undeniable step forward that builds on a strength of the province: its large hydroelectric park. However, sustainable development is much broader than just the issue of CO2 emissions and transportation. In particular, the issues of waste, pollution, and the intelligent use of biomass are the major forgotten issues of the November 16th announcement.”
Audrey Moores is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry. A leading expert in the field of catalysis using metal, metal oxide and biomass-based nanomaterials, with a special emphasis on sustainable processes and use of earth abundant starting materials, she held the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Green Chemistry from 2007 to 2017.
audrey.moores [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)
