Tory carbon pricing plan way too low to make a difference

Re Which party understands fighting climate change is

vital to a thriving economy? Sept. 8

Sarwar Choudhury is bang on that the government response to climate change is closely linked to economic health and that support for the creation of and shift to clean energy and electric alternatives will be key in keeping up with our G20 peers.

The existing federal carbon pricing system lays the groundwork to do just this. By starting at a fairly low price (currently $40 per tonne of CO2) and predictably increasing each year to reach a substantial price ($170 in 2030) it allows everyone to plan for a green future.

The current $40 price isn’t high enough to convince most people to make changes and if it stayed this low there wouldn’t be incentive for businesses to create green alternatives. It is the path to $170 that will make the difference to future demand for green products that businesses will want to be ready for. The Liberal, NDP and Green platforms have carbon prices reaching or exceeding $170 while the Conservative plan only ever reaches $50.

Anne Hogarth, Toronto