Ignatieff moves cautiously on climate change

In a blog of September 28, I discussed the opportunity for Ignatieff to act on climate change. Yesterday Ignatieff moved cautiously in this direction with a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade. The speech focused on the need for Canada to invest in clean energy technologies and upgrading its energy infrastructure. This follows the general approach proposed in the G20 Communiqué of earlier this year, which we noted on April 2, where investing in low carbon technology is a politically popular approach for tackling climate change.

Yet, to really start tackling climate change, and to properly differentiate himself against Stephen Harper, Ignatieff will need to go further. He will need to articulate regulatory and taxation policies (or at least approaches) that he supports. As the climate change meeting in Copenhagen draws closer, there is increased international pressure for Canadian politicians to take 'politically risky measures to cut carbon emissions'.

Personally, I'd also be interested in what Ignatieff has to say about these 4 broad questions posed by Yvo de Boer:

1. How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases?

2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions?

3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed?

4. How is that money going to be managed?