Conversations That Matter

Ep 480 - The Impact of Energy Poverty Guest:  Jock Finlayson By Stuart McNish   Energy poverty, according to the Canadian Urban Sustainability Practitioners, refers to “the experience of households or communities that struggle to heat their homes and power their lights and appliances” – a reality that is playing itself out in the Maritime provinces of Canada, and it has forced the hand of the Prime Minister to offer financial relief.   In his blog, “The Honest Broker,” Roger Pielke Jr. wrote of the “Iron Law of Climate Policy,” a law that demonstrates that when push comes to shove, governments will wilt under pressure from voter’s wallets. “It is,” Pielke says, “a boundary condition.”   The theory of “using higher-priced energy as a tool to accelerate decarbonization makes perfect sense – in bloodless computer models.” Noted economist Jock Finlayson agrees and adds, “In the real world, it is a theory that does not survive contact with the harsh financial realities it imposes on most people.”    We invited Joc