Financing the Low-Carbon Emissions Transition for Consumers: Financing a Clean Energy Growth Economy

This is the fourth briefing in a series on how the transition to a clean energy growth economy with lower GHG emissions will be financed.

Document Highlights

In a recent poll by Abacus, around 60 per cent of Canadians think that the climate is changing believe it to be caused by humans; and feel we should do more to try to reverse the effects. (But, that still leaves 40 per cent of Canadians who remain unaware or unconvinced.) This briefing suggests ways by which consumers can reduce their GHG footprint, aided by access to credit. These approaches include residential energy efficiency measures; personal transportation; purchases of major appliances; and several others. Changes in consumer behaviour and consumption patterns can make an important contribution to a robust growing economy with reduced GHG emissions. This is especially true when we consider that consumers were responsible for 46 per cent of all direct and indirect emissions in Canada in 2004. Access to consumer credit can be an influential factor in allowing that transition to proceed smoothly.