Sunday Morning 'Toon: Climate Change Edition

Have to say, I've always been skeptical of the whole "cap & trade" idea. Back in the 2008 election, when everyone from Jack Layton to Stephen Harper was prattling about how hard to understand the Green Shift was with its carbon tax, I kept wanting to say, "Okay, smart guy, how'll one of those cap & trade schemes you're offering as an alternative work?" None of the candidates came to my door in 2008, so never got to ask that. And the mainstream media never bothered to ask them about it either. The election seemed to be so much about tearing down the Green Shift regardless of the merits of what it was proposing.

Well, congratulations, guys. Mission accomplished.

Anyway, the people who made the Story of Stuff animation, have put together a new video called the Story of Cap and Trade. They do a pretty good job of explaining how the system works. And they do an excellent job of highlighting the serious problems with cap and trade. (I find the tone of the narration a little irritating, though.) Turns out -- surprise, surprise -- cap and trade is awfully complicated and some really nasty problems can be hidden in the fine print. And it looks like cap and trade is just another scam by financiers to make a pile of bucks without providing much in the way of benefit to society.

Not being an expert on such things, I can't say if any of the cap and trade schemes proposed for Canada are as corrupt as the one examined in this animation. But this makes me pretty damn skeptical that any cap and trade system could be the magic solution to our carbon problems.



I still can't help but think that taxation is the easiest way to put a fair price on carbon. I wouldn't even demand it be a revenue-neutral sort of deal. Pity that idea's been pretty much scuttled in this country... at the federal level, at least.

Pick of the Day: A Christmas Surprise

I had originally intended to feature the Stereos gig at the Distrikt tonight with The Midway State, Artist Life and The Envy as pick-of-the-day. But that fell through. Checking the headliners out on-line, it's just as well, as they do exude a bit of a poseur vibe. To begin with, they're from Edmonton. So why is that one dude with the tats sporting a Chicago Bulls jersey? Big fan of the NBA? Or just searching for that ever elusive punk/hip hop street cred?

If you were keen to see them though, don't sweat it, as Stereos will be backing up Hedley at Brandt Centre on March 30. Today though, especially if you're a parent, or you can arrange to borrow some kids for the afternoon, you might want to drop by the Royal Saskatchewan Museum for a holiday celebration. In addition to cider and goodies, there'll be musical entertainment courtesy of the the Regina Community Orchestra, Cadence and Eddie & the Shone-delles. There'll also be a screening of the movie Prancer, along with an opportunity to check out the museum's various galleries and displays.

Overall, sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon. There's no charge, but the RSM will be collecting donations on behalf of the Regina Humane Society.