Climate Justice Saskatoon pans Wall's climate change plan

Climate Justice Saskatoon isspeaking out in response to Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall's alternative plan for fighting climate change.

• Canada's climate change money shouldn't go to developing countries, Sask. premier says

The written response includes a sarcastic jab at the premier saying that "Mr. Wall has at last publicly acknowledged the reality of the climate crisis."

There is no evidence that Wall is a climate change denier.

Jokes aside, the organization calls Wall's climate policy, "inadequate, and biased towards economically unsound technology options."

Climate Justice Saskatoon's Mark Bigland-Pritchard said that the group agrees with Wall that technology is an important part of cutting emissions, but that it's no replacement for carbon pricing.

"A carbon price is not only a way to ensure that polluters pay for the extra medical, infrastructure, climate impact and insurance costs which they causebut also will drive both industry and consumers towards higher efficiency and cleaner technologies. So carbon pricing and technological solutions work together they are not alternatives to each other."

Wall outlined his proposals in a speech Tuesday at a Regina and District Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

As an alternative to carbon taxes, Wallwants Ottawa to take its $2.65-billion, five-year commitment for climate change measures in developing countries and use it instead for research and innovation in Canada.

The money could be used to develop technology such as carbon capture and storage and small nuclear reactors that could reduce emissions worldwide, he said.

Bigland-Pritchard also said that Wall's climate change plan revealed that the provincial government doesn't really understand just how urgent the climate crisis is.