Michael Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg LP and former mayor of New York City penned a recent article in the Calgary Herald. The article, “Bloomberg: Action on climate is being noticed” commends Alberta for its leadership on climate by noting, “Alberta’s government stepped up to lead the way. It forged a broad-based coalition — including much of the oil industry — in support of an ambitious clean energy agenda.”
Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan, and recent passing of Bill 20 which begins to put that plan into action, is already delivering on one of its goals — to show leadership on climate. The attention from Bloomberg, a noted politician and business leader on the global stage, proves the point. As Bloomberg says “Alberta’s leadership is being noticed far beyond its borders. Its agenda will send a powerful signal to governments around the world that fossil-fuel rich regions are becoming climate change leaders — not out of a sense of altruism, but out of a desire to strengthen their economies and improve their public health.”
This sentiment was echoed in the remarks by Mark Carney, former governor of the bank of Canada and current governor of the Bank of England and the chairman of the Financial Stability Board. Carney commended Alberta for integrating the climate and energy policies and was “pleased to see the progress that Alberta continues to make.”
"Alberta’s leadership is being noticed far beyond its borders." — Michael Bloomberg
Our actions as Albertans do matter on the global stage and the rewards will be multidimensional. Not only will we see an improvement in our overall health and save the system hundreds of millions of dollars a year, we will see the job creation opportunities and the billions in investment that comes as the world makes the shift to a cleaner economy. The critical piece is that the Climate Change Plan is made in Alberta so it addresses the needs of our province instead of a plan being imposed on us. It respects the fact our traditional resources still have great value and, as Mr. Bloomberg states, it is enhancing the province’s reputation around the world.
Through Bloomberg’s experience as mayor, and CEO of Bloomberg LP — a global leader in business and financial information and news — he has seen how “battling climate change goes hand-in-hand with promoting economic growth and improving public health and safety. The old way of thinking about climate change — that taking action costs too much — is outdated. Experience has shown that cities, regions and countries benefit economically from investments that improve energy efficiency and create the modern infrastructure that investors seek.”
However, these announcements are just the beginning. In order to own this leadership and realize the economic growth that it will deliver we must ensure implementation does not falter. Carbon levy revenue must be invested in a wide range of programs including Energy Efficiency and Clean Tech. This plan is a bold first step. Now we need to make good on it.
