Quebec’s energy minister wants half of its citizens to give up their cars. The future of “Net Zero”
Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon told the media that citizens of Quebec, Canada, will need to drive significantly less to meet zero emissions goals. He had previously declared that the number of cars in Quebec must be halved, for both internal combustion and electric vehicles.
According to Fitzgibbon, “it will come naturally. Quebecers are smart people."
“Who am I to say you shouldn't drive a Ford Explorer with lots of fuel? It's your decision. It may cost you more to do so, but it's not the government's job to tell you what to drive,” the minister said, quoted by Global News.
Driving is already expensive enough in all Canadian provinces thanks to the federal government's efforts to harshly enforce the carbon tax. However, this doesn't seem to have stopped many people from owning and using the automobile.
According to the provincial energy minister, reducing car ownership is only part of the equation. “It is about being consistent and if we are to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, consumer habits need to change significantly,” he told the media.
It appears clear in the politician's mind that if citizens do not make this decision personally and voluntarily, someone, through taxes, prohibitions and obligations, will guide them towards "Change", whether they like it or not.
The premier of Quebec is not very happy with these plans. Citizens don't matter much…
"I know that Pierre has read many environmental reports this summer," Prime Minister Francois Legault told the media. “There are environmentalists who propose to halve the number of cars. Our approach is to move towards electric cars”. Who did the energy minister choose then? The government or was it imposed from outside?
The premier stressed that the government will use an incentive-based approach rather than coercion.
The CBC reports that there are six million passenger cars in Quebec, of which 170,000 are electric. According to the Canadian Automobile Association, which cites data from Natural Resources Canada, Quebec, together with Ontario, accounts for 55% of Canada's total gasoline consumption. 170 thousand out of six million is 2.8%: who will finance the remaining 97.2% of electric cars?
Obviously, for now, the citizens
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The article Quebec's energy minister wants half of its citizens to give up their cars. The future of “Net Zero” comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-ministro-dellenergia-del-quebec-vuole-che-meta-dei-suoi-cittadini-rinunci-allauto-il-futuro-del-net-zero/ on Thu, 17 Aug 2023 10:00:38 +0000.