Feds’ zero emissions plan a good first step, but getting there will be an enormous challenge
TORONTO—The federal government has taken an important and necessary step in publishing its first Zero Emissions Reduction Plan, which sets out how it might achieve its 2030 pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level 40 per cent below that recorded in 2005. Achieving that target is an important ambition for our country. However, […]
Canadians can’t afford further dawdling on emissions targets
Canadians can be forgiven for approaching the Trudeau government’s latest environmental plan with more than a modicum of skepticism. The plan, tabled on March 29 by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, says that to meet the ambitious reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions of 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, the oil […]
Could 2022 be the year that Canada reaches ‘peak plastic’?
Could this be the year that Canada reaches “peak plastic,” marking the beginning of the end of the growing plastic disaster? With the soon-to-be-implemented ban on certain single-use plastics, and commitments to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have a real opportunity to ensure Canada’s use […]
Climate change most pressing issue of our time, says British Columbia letter writer
I’m a grandparent with two darling grandchildren, whom I love very much. And I believe climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. We are in a climate emergency. In 2021, extreme weather fuelled by the climate crisis made headlines around the world—heat domes, forest fires, floods, droughts. Climatologists expect more records to be broken and more destructive […]
Canada’s next agricultural policy framework must promote the uptake of agricultural natural climate solutions
Farmers are facing increasing drought, flooding, and depleted soils, but there are opportunities we can act on now to support their resilience. And as allies in the fight against climate change, their role in reducing emissions will be vital for meeting Canada’s 2030 goals, as well as fuelling a green economic transition. A peer-reviewed study […]
Politics of Parliament gets in the way of MPs’ environmental leadership
If you’ve experienced déjà vu lately when it comes to environmental news from Parliament Hill, you’re not alone. In December 2021, NDP MP Richard Cannings introduced private members’ bills to strengthen waterway protections and create an environmental bill of rights. Soon after, Green Party MP Elizabeth May tabled Bill C-226 to tackle environmental racism. Then […]
Canadians increasingly want government to meet climate targets, even if it means higher energy prices, polls suggest
Faced with the fall out of a pandemic, concern about the rising cost of living, and emergence of the war in Ukraine, how are Canadians thinking about our climate and energy policies? One would think a focus on energy and environment would take a back seat or even be stowed away in the public policy […]
Why aren’t our EV sales getting a spark?
Let’s face it: most of us drive our own vehicles. Many have switched to transit, car shares or bikes to lower their carbon footprints, but most people in Canada drive cars. Worse yet, the vehicles we’re choosing, SUVs and pickup trucks, are big and polluting. Canadians now hold the dubious distinction of having personal vehicles […]
Climate change remains the most significant existential threat to human society
TORONTO—Canada’s oil and gas companies, along with wheat and many other commodity producers, all stand to gain from sharply rising raw material prices as a result of Russia’s brutal invasion of Russia and the West’s response in cutting off use of Russia’s energy. Much of the focus today is on how to profit from the […]
Climate policies could prove key ‘wedge’ in Conservative leadership race, say strategists
The race to determine the next Conservative Party leader could “hinge” on candidates’ climate policies, from carbon pricing and beyond, say strategists, with early front-runner Pierre Poilievre already on the anti-carbon tax offensive. “Climate change policy is going to be a bit of a litmus test … it’s important to voters to see the Conservative […]
