Will Canada’s Latest Cap-and-trade Program Fuel More Environmental Protection?

Many are concerned about President-elect Donald Trump’s statements about climate change being “nonexistent,” as well as how his cabinet picks will approach environmental issues. Canada, meanwhile, has taken new steps to combat global warming. On January 1, the province of Ontario launched a new cap-and-trade market for greenhouse emissions, which will join similar programs in U.S. states like New York, Massachusetts and Washington. Eric Orts, faculty director of Wharton’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership, Chistopher Ragan, a McGill University economics professor and chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, and Trevor Tombe, a University of Calgary economics professor joined the Knowledge at Wharton show on Wharton Business Radio on SiriusXM channel 111 to discuss the new program and the impact it will have on consumers, businesses and the environment.