Column: From Carbon tax to reward system

If you have a tinfoil hat kicking around, it might be time to find it for a few hundred words.

Just this week, Mark Carney stated he would remove the carbon tax and replace it with an incentive program that rewards Canadians for making greener decisions.

There were no further details on how it would work, but it sounded just like the theories I’ve read about online over five years. Those policies regard information shared in Davos, Switzerland, yearly during the World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering.

Carney has had multiple dealings with the WEF, mainly as a climate finance advocate. In short, he’s been a leading voice in integrating climate risks into financial decision-making. This aligns with WEF’s emphasis on addressing climate change and transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

The World Economic Forum is an organization that helps governments create partnerships, alliances and policy.

So, why does this matter?

Some individuals believe we are headed for a system that gives or takes privileges based on personal actions. The WEF believes in something called a “Reputation System.”

To summarize, a reputation system promotes digital identity systems that combine an individual’s online activities, credentials, and behaviours. These systems could grant access to financial services, healthcare, travel, and more, based on trustworthiness. However, a quick perusal of the WEF site didn’t turn up mention of social credit scores.

What Carney didn’t say, however, was what will happen if provinces, companies, and individuals don’t adopt the system.

Will it be grant money tied to projects or tax incentives to buy greener? If so, every colour party has done it before.

It will all come down to how those who choose not to participate in the “program” are treated.

When we have that answer, we may see the actual liberal plan come to light.

Depending on your take, you can put the hat away for now; everything still seems a long way off.

Read More: Column: The knowledge keepers – Meridian Source

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Dan Gray
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