Published December 2, 2010
by iris_author
IRIS Executive Member and Faculty of Environmental Studies Professor, Jose Etcheverry has good news for the Canadian economy as long as people are willing to rethink the renewable energy sector. I recently sat down with Dr. Etcheverry for an interview and inquired about his work.
Dr. Etcheverry’s research on climate change emphasizes the importance of investing in the renewable energy sector. This involves shifting focus away from cap and trade programs towards designing and building a strong renewable energy sector throughout North America. Since North America already has the necessary administrative infrastructure this investment would create ‘green jobs’ and make 2020 and 2050 deep emission reduction targets possible.
Dr. Etcheverry points to Germany for empirical evidence demonstrating unequivocally that investing in the renewable energy sector can have a handsome pay off.
Through renewable energy laws and feed-in tariffs, Germany is able to create jobs and reduce emissions despite the recession. Thanks to these initiatives Germany achieves a yearly reduction in CO² of 107 million tonnes along with 300,500 renewable energy jobs and annual investment of €33 billion in the renewable energy sector. Unfortunately these encouraging trends are not being noticed by our current government which claims instead that signing onto the climate change bill C-311 would require implementing emissions targets that are fiscally “irresponsible.”
Ultimately, Dr. Etcheverry has good news to share. He is confident that there are many practical solutions, some of which are already being implemented right here in Ontario. The process of “greening” the economy is positive, creative and yields multiple co-benefits. Fostered by a coal phase out, the FIT programs, such as the Ontario Power Authority’s microFIT plan, are a great example of such initiatives. The Provincial government now pays Ontarians for generating renewable energy at their homes, farms, and places of work. The Ontario FIT programs also encourage community power and First Nation renewable initiatives to develop new jobs that can protect the climate, enhance local energy security and self-reliance.
For more information about Dr. Etcheverry’s research, you can visit his FES profile page.
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