GPM Platform - Table of Contents:
A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE
Energy use is a major source of social and environmental damage. Manitoba Greens see energy as a critical component of a sustainable future; indeed it is energy (not money) that makes the world go around. We must move towards relying only on the sun and sun-powered processes (wind, water, photosynthesis) for our energy (ability to do work). This will mean a rapid but planned shift away from fossil fuels, which are apparently peaking in production (i.e. more than half the total recoverable oil in the world has been used up and we will move from increasing supplies of oil to decreasing supplies in oil - see http://www.peakoil.net for more information). Since the second half of the oil supply is harder to get at than the first, this will make the transition from energy supply growth to energy supply contraction that much more difficult. Moreover, the ecological degradation caused by oil use (burning it causes co2 emissions, turning it into pesticides and plastics causes pollution, and extracting and refining it causes water and soil pollution) is stressing our Earth beyond its limits. We must deal with this situation quickly but with precaution and proper planning, not just rushing into pseudo-solutions like ethanol-blended gasoline, nuclear power, natural gas fired electricity generation, or massive hydroelectric construction. We need a new way: the soft-path to energy security.
The Soft Path to Energy Security
In a sustainable society, the soft path (demand-side management) instead of the hard path (supply-side management) is emphasized. This goes beyond mere energy efficiency, stressing limits to growth of energy supplies and reframing energy demand in terms of goals of use, matching quality of supply to quality needs (for example, not using valuable electricity for space heating), and in back-casting from desired futures to current situation and linking them logically, instead of simply forecasting a future based on current assumptions and trends. This is a democratic planning model that could replace our current system of forecasting and then building to meet demand forecasts, but must include socio-economic and political realities to be practical and pragmatic.
The soft path to energy looks first at what we are using the energy for and then uses appropriate types of energy to meet the particular needs. It is demand-side management with a conservation focus. The opposite of the soft path is the hard path, which emphasizes constantly looking for more and more supplies to meet every-growing demand. Manitoba Greens recognize that energy supplies cannot grow forever and that instead of simply accepting forecasts of demand growth based on current policy assumptions, we should manage our demands for energy instead of simply assuming we can always find more energy (no matter what the social, ecological, and economic cost).
Instead of always forecasting, the soft-path asks that we back-cast from a desired sustainable future to today, where we can design and implement policies and programs that will help us achieve that sustainable future.
The soft path relies on diverse sources of renewable energy. The soft path is designed for maximum efficiency because it matches energy supply quality to the energy quality needed in particular circumstances. The soft path first defines the services that the energy provides and then looks for the most appropriate, efficient, and sustainable source to meet the desired end-use.
The soft path is decentralized and relies primarily on local, site-specific sources of energy and thus promotes constant demand-side innovation and adaptation. It is resilient because it does not rely on one or two centralized energy sources far away from the end user. The soft path leaves many options open, instead of foreclosing the future through continued dependence on a few heavily polluting, unsustainable, and inefficient supplies of energy such as fossil-fuels, nuclear, mega-hydroelectric dams, etc.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Promote the soft-path (demand-side management, not supply-side growth), to develop a provincial energy strategy;
2. Establish a Fossil-Fuel Independence Commission to examine ways to reduce and eventually eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas;
3. Use principles of progressive taxation in developing conservation and fossil-fuel independence policies and programs to ensure that those of minor means are not adversely affected by sustainability initiatives;
4. Create vibrant and sustainable cities that require less and less resources to be shipped in and wastes shipped out.
Hydroelectricity and Aboriginal Peoples' Rights
Massive hydroelectric projects have displaced thousands of Aboriginal peoples from their traditional territories and put them in a situation of dependence. This has to be addressed by the Manitoba Government if we are to consider ourselves a sustainable and just society.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Put a moratorium on new hydro-electric dam construction in Manitoba pending a cumulative ecological assessment of the effects of hydro-electric generation in Manitoba;
2. Recognize inherent and Treaty rights of Aboriginal people in Manitoba with regards to the Northern Flood Agreement and sub-agreements and the responsibilities of Manitoba (as a Crown subsidiary) to Aboriginal peoples;
3. Reconstitute Manitoba Hydro as "Manitoba Energy" with a focus not on producing more hydroelectricity but on conservation and the soft-path to energy (fitting types of energy to their use and emphasizing smaller, diverse, and localized energy sources such as wind, solar, micro-hydro, and others.
Transportation and Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels account for 74% of Manitoba's ecological footprint ; Manitoba Greens would adopt a province-wide transportation policy and fossil fuel independence policy to ensure that essential transportation needs and energy needs could be met from renewable sources, and to ensure that the costs of transitioning to renewable energy would be fairly shared among all Manitobans.
In urban centres Manitoba Greens would promote well-planned public transportation, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets, and other forms of low-energy transportation.
Manitoba Greens support reinvestment in railroads, light rail systems, and river transportation and would encourage investment in innovative transportation, such as airships, for northern and remote areas.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Develop a comprehensive transportation policy for the province based on localizing (instead of globalizing) production and consumption to reduce the need for transportation;
2. Mandate the use of fuel-efficient vehicles meeting the California emissions standards in government services;
3. Promote compact urban development compatible with mass transit and pedestrian travel;
4. Invest in rail transport;
5. Develop local food systems that greatly reduce the need for transporting our food;
6. Amend the Highway Traffic Act to allow greater use of and safety for human-powered forms of transportation;
7. Open an Active Transportation Office to promote active transportation in Manitoba's communities through research, programs, and citizen-led initiatives;
8. Adjust MPI fees so that a proportion of fees is paid on a per kilometre basis with a basic exemption and differentiated rates for urban and rural drivers to ensure people are paying insurance in proportion to their chances of causing or being involved in an accident;
9. Create a meaningful fossil-fuel tax (i.e. carbon tax) with a basic exemption for drivers to ensure people are not penalized for basic driving needs, but only for wasteful driving and gas-guzzling;
10. Entitle cyclists to an entire lane of traffic, rather than only the right hand side, on routes of speed limits lower than 70km/hour and construct segregated bike lanes with priority being given to the busiest streets and highways first;
11. Ensure the government purchased emission free, or at minimum the most fuel efficient, vehicles available;
12. Provide incentives for people, businesses, and municipalities to move towards more ecologically friendly transportation.
Next: Concluding Statement
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