Let’s remember to conserve, reduce

During the current debates about energy and emissions, I’ve seen little advocacy for conservation and reduction. The following are a few suggestions that would greatly improve our climate. Also, let’s put the responsibilities (and blame) where they belong — on Canadian government bureaucrats and consumers.

Why don’t all provinces mandate heat pumps and tankless water heaters in new homes? Why didn’t all provinces adopt the California vehicle-emission standards, instead of creating their own ineffective ones? Think that for more than 40 years, Canada could have had much lower vehicle emissions and cheaper new-car prices.

Does the modern small family really need a 2,500-plus-squarefoot home? Do you really need to upgrade your cellphone every year (for a five per cent performance improvement) with the resulting discarded extra batteries adding to the landfill?

Why aren’t more Canadian homeowners installing heat pumps and tankless water heaters? These typically reduce energy consumption by 30 per cent or more, and on-demand water heaters reduce hydro bills by 40 per cent with the original investment paid back in about three years.

We should be able to make a smarter transition to greater use of renewables (and note that natural gas can be manufactured from renewable sources). But it’s sad that governments and consumers seem to lack the political will to get the job done.

I hope we do not follow the Ontario disaster: zero reduced carbon footprint, with 300 per cent increase in typical electricity bills. Mike Mitchell Victoria