Every dollar invested in climate change action now avoids more than $17 in future damages—GPI Atlantic
The costs of future climate change are so astronomical that even modest investments cutting greenhouse gas emissions now will produce huge savings in avoided damages in future.
Climate change economists estimate that each tonne of greenhouse gases we emit will cause at least $38 in global climate change damages. When compared to costs of drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions now, GPI Atlantic found that every dollar invested now will save at least $17 in avoided future damage costs.
Nova Scotia has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% since 1990, mainly from electricity, through increased use of wind power, heat pumps, and efficiency measures. But Nova Scotians are also driving more, and emitting ever more greenhouse gases from cars and gas-guzzling SUVs. Every Nova Scotian still emits 18 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year – twice as much as West Europeans, 65% more than Quebecois, the fifth highest in Canada, and the fourth highest per dollar of GDP – 13% above the national average.
In Nova Scotia, climate change is predicted to increase extreme weather events, particularly hurricanes, floods, and droughts, and to flood low-lying regions round Halifax Harbour, Yarmouth and the Bay of Fundy due to sea-level rise, higher tides, and greater storm intensity, frequency and surges.
The Geological Survey of Canada projects a 75-centimetre sea level rise in Halifax Harbour this century. Nova Scotia’s southern and eastern shores will see more erosion and coastal instability, and Environment Canada warns of potential saltwater infiltration into Nova Scotia groundwater, threats to communication links, and falling lake and groundwater levels.
GPI Atlantic has a new Share the Earth youth project. Students may also join the GPI Climate Change Working Group to help produce briefs like this one. Please contact gwen@gpiatlantic.org to sign up and check the GPI Atlantic Facebook Page for details of upcoming workshops.
The GPI Transportation Accounts: Sustainable Transportation in Halifax Regional Municipality
Authors: Aviva Savelson, MA, Ronald Colman, PhD, and William Martin
This 121-page report (which includes a 10-page executive summary) provides estimates of the economic costs of private vehicle use in HRM, including detailed breakdowns of the direct and indirect costs of driving in HRM. It also shows how many kilometres a year HRM residents drive, how much fuel they consume, and how many tonnes of greenhouse gases and air pollutants they emit. It compares the emissions of SUVs and minivans in HRM with those of cars, and provides a host of other statistics designed to help the Municipality measure its progress towards a more sustainable transportation system.
The detailed GPI indicators, measures, and cost estimates contained in this report are designed for use in implementing HRM's new Municipal Planning Strategy, which intends to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation system that reduces driving and congestion, encourages walking and bicycling, and supports much greater use of mass transit.
Helping Communities Move Toward Sustainable Development: The Natural Step — A Primer for Atlantic Canada
Authors: Janet Eaton, PhD; and Peter Eaton, PhD
with assistance from Clare Levin
The four Atlantic Provinces, while distinct from each other, together have many unique features which make the Atlantic Canadian region particularly suitable for piloting a proven method of advancing sustainable development. The Natural Step framework offers a unique and practical approach to sustainability, helping communities and businesses become more environmentally and socially responsible one step at a time. The primer examines the particular challenges and strengths of Atlantic Canada, and proposes that the region pilot the adoption of The Natural Step (TNS) framework as a systemic and overarching model to guide communities, governments, businesses, educational institutions, and other organizations in becoming more sustainable.
Released in conjunction with the launch of the Atlantic Canada Sustainability Initiative.
The GPI Transportation Accounts: Sustainable Transportation in Nova Scotia
Authors: Aviva Savelson, MA; Ronald Colman, PhD; Todd Litman, MES; Sally Walker, PhD; and Ryan Parmenter, MEDes
with assistance from William Martin, Clare Levin, Gillian Austin, Ben Gallagher, Jenny Gimian, Jaspal Marwah, and Antoni Wysocki
A comprehensive analysis of Nova Scotia's transportation system, including physical indicators and full-cost accounts. This report assess es the sustainability of the transportation system using 20 key indicators and a number of sub-indicators , and examines 15 different cost categories to assess the true cost of passenger road transportation in Nova Scotia . The study also provides recommendations for making transportation more efficient, affordable and sustainable, and examples of transportation best practices.
Authors: Sally Walker, Ronald Colman, Jeffrey Wilson, Anne Monette, & Gay Harley
A comprehensive, full cost-benefit analysis of the Nova Scotia Solid Waste-Resource Management Strategy, accounting for benefits like avoided greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions; avoided liability costs; extended landfill life; and increased employment. It also accounts for the costs of the bottle deposit-refund, tire recycling, and stewardship programs, and the cost of the extra time needed to sort waste.
Authors: Anne Monette, MES; Ronald Colman, Ph.D; and Jeff Wilson, BES
The environmental impact of consumption patterns, including transportation, residential energy use, and food consumption in Prince Edward Island. Includes 40-year ecological footprint trends, with projections to 2020 and assessments of alternative footprint reduction options.
Authors: Anne Monette, MES; Ronald Colman, Ph.D; and Jeff Wilson, BES
The environmental impact of consumption patterns, including transportation, residential energy use, and food consumption in Nova Scotia. Includes trends over time, projections to 2020 and assessments of alternative footprint reduction options.
Authors: Sally Walker, Ph.D; Anne Monette, MES and Ronald Colman, Ph.D
Trends in greenhouse gas emissions in Nova Scotia, and estimated damage costs and control costs associated with Nova Scotia's greenhouse gas emissions.
An introduction to the GPI greenhouse gas accounts that examines the fundamental principles on which the GPI approach to resource use is based and describes the framework of the larger study.
Abstract: More fossil fuel emissions register as economic growth, and are therefore conventionally interpreted as "progress" in the standard market statistics, even though they may be contributing to climate change that will likely imperil the well being of future generations. By constrast, the Genuine Progress Index regards a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as a sign of progress.
This brief introduction to the GPI greenhouse gas account examines the fundamental principles on which the GPI approach to resource use is based and describes the framework of the larger study. It also gives a preliminary assessment of the potential impact of climate change on Nova Scotia, lists some early results, and proposes a framework to evaluate alternative greenhouse gas reduction options.
Authors: Sally Walker, Ph.D.; Ron Hilburn, Ph.D., and Ronald Colman, Ph.D.
Direct and indirect costs of greenhouse gas emissions in the freight transport sector, including cost-benefit analysis of partial shift from road to rail transport.
