Saskatchewan Agriculture GHG Emissions Policy Options
Date
2018-09-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Saskatchewan is known for their Canadian contribution to agriculture. Statistics Canada prefers to refer to the province as, “the breadbasket of Canada.” However, even with the facts of the significance of this industry, the province does not feel the need to prevent negative environmental impacts from this sector. There is no set regulatory policy for agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Saskatchewan. Public Interest Theory and Public Choice Theory can explain the reason behind why there has been minimal movement towards a mitigation strategy for agricultural GHG emissions. This is because of the status of this type of policy for Saskatchewan at the agenda setting stage of the policy cycle. In addition, a provincial comparison (Alberta), and various country and continental comparisons (USA & EU) provide information to assist in the understanding of policy in this area. There are four options provided for the resolution of this policy problem. These options include: 1) Status Quo with Enhancement Nationwide & Stop Avoidance– Federally, 2) Many Small Changes, 3) Indirect Effective Policies, and/or 4) Increased Financial Incentives. Based on research, all four of these choices are viably solutions for Saskatchewan. To achieve the best results, a combination of three of the options is the solution that would be suggested. The potential solution to this problem incorporates options 2 (Many Small Changes), 3 (Indirect Effective Policies), and/or 4 (Increased Financial Incentives). This paper will explain in depth the policy problem, various resolutions, and finally, the best policy option for Saskatchewan to reduce GHG emissions from agriculture. 2
Description
Keywords
Citation
Lister, B. (2018). Saskatchewan Agriculture GHG Emissions Policy Options (Unpublished master's project). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.