Behind the 8 ball on climate action

 

The commitments that Canada has made to the IPCC are in danger of being missed.

Checklist for election policy

 

We can assess the plans of our political parties on criteria from the Climate Action Network. Cam Fenton, Canada Team Lead for 350.org, writes in the Medium, about three ways Trudeau can catch up with Biden’s ambitious climate agenda.

Canada has massive potential for good, green jobs... overcome many of the objections that his climate policies have faced on both the left and the right by pushing forward with legislation that both acknowledges the end of fossil fuels and delivers good jobs for working people. Put a moratorium on new permits for fossil fuel development everywhere the federal government can and suspend all government financing for fossil fuels. That includes canceling the Trans Mountain expansion and recouping as much of the project’s $12.6+ billion construction cost as possible... we need to increase the pace and scale of our climate action, and that means setting more urgent targets with deeper emissions cuts. Right now, Canada has pledged to cut emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. That number needs to go way up, and we need to be setting targets for at least 2025, if not sooner to put us on the right track.1

 

	350.org advises:[1]
1	Pass the Just Transition Act
2	Put a moratorium on new fossil fuel permits and financing
3	Get more ambitious

Catherine Abreu & Eddy Pérez report that the clock is ticking for Canada to get its UN climate pledge right. The Climate Action Network - Réseau Action Climat, Canada’s farthest-reaching network of organizations working on climate change and energy issues, has released “A People's Plan: Benchmarks for Evaluating Canada’s International Climate Commitments Ahead of 2021 Summit”.

 

The report, endorsed by 32 organizations that represent the concerns of millions of Canadians, sets out seven critical benchmarks that Canada's NDC must meet. Canada is among the top 10 global net emitters — both currently and cumulatively over time. Based on our GDP, Canada’s fair share to limit global warming to 1.5 C requires domestic emission cuts from 2005 levels by at least 60 per cent by 2030... 2

 

	Topic	Canada’s NDC policies must...
1	Equity.	Canada is among the top 10 global net emitters — both currently and cumulatively over time. Based on our GDP, Canada’s fair share to limit global warming to 1.5 C requires domestic emission cuts from 2005 levels by at least 60 per cent by 2030...
2	Upholding human rights	Upholding human rights, including the rights of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples are climate leaders and on the front lines of climate impacts, yet colonial policies exclude them from the decision-making table...
3	Rapid decarbonization.	The science is clear: We need ambitious policies to accelerate the decarbonization of every part of our economy this decade. The NDC should include plans for consistent, rigorous carbon pricing and for ending expansion and managing a decline of the fossil fuel industry...
4	Shifting financial flows.	Last month, the International Energy Agency declared oil and gas expansion to be incompatible with a 1.5 C pathway. Yet Canada continues to fuel the problem through fossil fuel subsidies, which rose 200 per cent in 2020...
5	Increasing resilience.	Increasing resilience, interconnectedness with nature, and social and health co-benefits. The natural world faces multiple threats, while increasing natural disasters and air pollution bring heavy health and financial costs...
6	Just transition.	Decarbonizing the economy will have dramatic impacts for workers dependent on high-emissions sectors.Canada’s NDC policies must focus on workers and communities and ensure economic protection, particularly for racialized workers, women and Indigenous peoples.
7	Whole-of-country co-operation.	The federal government must detail how it will work with every Indigenous community, city, region, province, and territory to tackle the climate crisis as it implements the NDC.

A release from the Climate Action Network - Réseau Action Climat comments that Canada’s new NDC will be judged, at home and on the international stage, by its ability to make the right connections.

 

“Canada’s NDC is more than just a target; it’s about people and the planet,” said Eddy Pérez, International Climate Diplomacy Manager at Climate Action Network Canada. “Time is running out for tackling the climate crisis. Will the government step up and show the leadership we need before it’s too late? Canada has a track record of failing to follow through on climate promises. With a strong NDC, we can break that cycle.”3

The prospect of a federal election in the near future is an opportunity to compare party platforms to the policy Canada needs to honour our commitments to reducing the impact of climate change on our planet.

 

References

1	(2021, February 3). Three ways Trudeau can catch up with Biden's ambitious climate .... Retrieved February 4, 2021, from https://medium.com/@350canada/three-ways-trudeau-can-catch-up-with-bidens-ambitious-climate-agenda-ab197642a6d0?source=rss-------1
2	(2021, June 28). Clock is ticking for Canada to get its UN climate pledge right .... Retrieved June 28, 2021, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/06/28/opinion/clock-ticking-canada-get-its-un-climate-pledge-right
3	(2021, June 28). A People's Plan: Benchmarks for Evaluating Canada's International .... Retrieved June 28, 2021, from https://climateactionnetwork.ca/2021/06/28/a-peoples-plan-benchmarks-for-evaluating-canadas-international-climate-commitments-ahead-of-2021-summit/