Fossil fuels are driving affordability crisis; smart climate policy is the answer

A joint statement by eleven civil society organizations arguing that carbon pricing is not the cause of affordability challenges in Canada and calling for a transition away from fossil fuels to address both climate and cost-of-living crises.

• The authors argue that carbon pricing is not responsible for affordability challenges; instead, they attribute surging fossil fuel prices and inflation to global geopolitical factors and profiteering by oil and gas corporations. They provide an example stating that between 2020 and October 2023, heating oil costs rose by 75 cents per litre, of which only 12 cents were due to carbon pricing.
• The statement highlights that the oil and gas sector is the highest emitting sector in Canada, accounting for 28 per cent of national emissions, excluding downstream emissions from fuel combustion.
• The organizations call for several specific policy actions to address the climate emergency and affordability, including: implementing a windfall profit tax on the fossil fuel industry to fund climate solutions; providing free heat pumps and turnkey retrofits for low-income families; maintaining a consistent economy-wide price on pollution without loopholes; and prioritizing high-emission sectors to close the emissions reduction gap identified by Canadat environment commissioner.

APA

CAPE (2023). Fossil fuels are driving affordability crisis; smart climate policy is the answer. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/fossil-fuels-are-driving-affordability-crisis-smart-climate-policy-is-the-answer/

Chicago

CAPE. Fossil fuels are driving affordability crisis; smart climate policy is the answer. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2023. https://cape.ca/fossil-fuels-are-driving-affordability-crisis-smart-climate-policy-is-the-answer/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=CAPE |title=Fossil fuels are driving affordability crisis; smart climate policy is the answer |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=21 November 2023 |url=https://cape.ca/fossil-fuels-are-driving-affordability-crisis-smart-climate-policy-is-the-answer/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cape2023fossil, author = {CAPE}, title = {{Fossil fuels are driving affordability crisis; smart climate policy is the answer}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://cape.ca/fossil-fuels-are-driving-affordability-crisis-smart-climate-policy-is-the-answer/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }