Through a variety of regulations and spending plans, the Trudeau government is expanding its control over our lives in the name of climate change and other environmental goals. For example, the government plans to force consumers to buy electric cars instead of traditional ones, and is proposing or enforcing restrictions on consumers and businesses on everything from plastic straws and utensils to clothing materials and food packaging.
But while there is growing evidence of higher costs to consumers, there is a notable lack of evidence of environmental benefits. Indeed, a number of recent studies have shown that Ottawa’s consumer restrictions may have negative environmental effects. One reason for this is that the plastic products that the federal government is so keen to regulate are actually more environmentally efficient than other products.
A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology earlier this year concluded that “15 of 16 uses of plastic products result in lower greenhouse gas emissions than alternatives.” The study looked at grocery bags, food packaging, soft drink containers, furniture, T-shirts, and other plastic products. In most cases, replacing plastic with alternatives increases greenhouse gas emissions by 35 to 700 percent.
Why? Because plastics generally require less energy to produce and transport than alternatives. In fact, many of the plastic products that are (research shows) more environmentally friendly than non-plastic alternatives are the same products the Trudeau government wants to ban or reduce through regulation.
Other evidence shows that plastic bans like the one imposed in Canada cause environmental damage, contrary to politicians’ predictions. For example, a New Jersey study found that shoppers switched to heavier reusable bags after single-use plastic bags were banned in 2022. “Greenhouse gas emissions increased by 500% because of the heavier nonwoven polypropylene bags’ larger carbon footprint,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
Similarly, The New York Times reported that although California banned single-use plastic bags nearly a decade ago, figures from CalRecycle, the state’s recycling agency, show that by 2023, “California residents will be throwing away more plastic bags by weight than when the law was first passed.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, analysis has shown that electric vehicles tend to emit more particulate pollution (dust, dirt, soot) than conventional vehicles. This is because most particulate pollution these days comes from tire wear, not from the exhaust pipe. Electric vehicles are much heavier than conventional cars, which causes their tires to wear out faster and produce more particulate pollution. Emissions Analytics compared plug-in electric vehicles to hybrids and found that heavy plug-in electric vehicles emit about a quarter more particulate matter than hybrids due to tire wear.
Last year, the chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board noted that electric cars made by Ford, Volvo and Toyota are all about 33 percent heavier than conventionally powered vehicles — a problem not just for the environment but for driver safety, providing further evidence that the Trudeau government’s electric vehicle mandate would harm Canadians.
When it comes to cars, plastic products, and many other things, the Trudeau government should start deregulating consumers. The harm to consumers is clear, but the compensating benefits to the environment, if there are any, are not.
