THE PRESIDENT’S FORUM

In this dialogue, Mark Jaccard takes a hard look at why Canada’s and BC’s greenhouse gas emissions have continued to climb in spite of 20 years of government climate policies. He explains why emissions will not decline as long as our policies continue to treat the atmosphere as a free waste receptacle. He then looks at the options for effective policy, including emissions charges, regulated caps on emissions, and market-oriented regulations that focus on technologies (such as vehicles) or forms of energy (such as biofuels or small hydro power). Business leaders and policy makers will talk about the implications of these options.

Dr. Mark Jaccard has been professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University since 1986 — interrupted from 1992–97 while he served as Chair and CEO of the British Columbia Utilities Commission. His PhD is from the Energy Economics and Policy Institute at the University of Grenoble. Jaccard has served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (93–96) and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (96–2002). He has chaired several public inquiries, advised governments throughout the world, and is a frequent media contributor. He is a member of Canada’s National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, a research fellow at the CD Howe Institute, an advisor to the Canadian Council of Chief Executive Officers, and lead author for policy in the upcoming Global Energy Assessment. He has over 90 academic publications. His 2002 book, The Cost of Climate Policy, won the Policy Research Institute award for best policy book in Canada and was shortlisted for the Donner Prize. His 2005 book, Sustainable Fossil Fuels, won the Donner Prize for best policy book in Canada. His latest book, Hot Air, co-authored with Jeffrey Simpson and Nic Rivers, is published by McClelland and Stewart.