Recent reports circulating online have claimed that the Canadian government considered renaming “inflation” to terms like “heat-flation” or “climate-flation” to link rising prices with climate change.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, a paywalled news service focusing on Canadian federal politics, the Privy Council Office allegedly conducted a focus group in April to test public reception of terms like “climate-flation” and “heat-flation”. The report suggests this was an attempt to associate the rising cost of living with climate change.
.@PrivyCouncilCA in April 24 focus group report commissioned research on “concepts of ‘climate-flation’ and ‘heat-flation’” to gauge whether Canadians liked the terms.
— Holly Doan (@hollyanndoan) October 7, 2024
“Asked whether they had heard either of these terms before, none indicated they had.” https://t.co/5QTBJKmQ65 https://t.co/FsCwIfKJNn
It’s important to note that there is no evidence that this proposal ever moved beyond the exploratory stage or that it was seriously considered by senior government officials. The Canadian government has not made any official statements or policy changes regarding the renaming of inflation.
Inflation, as defined by economists, refers to a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money. Its causes are complex and multifaceted, including factors such as monetary policy, supply chain disruptions, and global economic conditions.
While climate change can impact certain prices, particularly in agriculture due to extreme weather events, it is not typically considered a primary driver of overall inflation by mainstream economists.
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