Ottawa must end all financing for fossil fuels, ‘abated’ or not
The federal environment commissioner recently found that Canada’s record on combatting climate change was the worst among G7 countries since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015. This was attributed in part to the government’s “policy incoherence,” as seen with investments such as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. These investments fit within a long-standing […]
The net-zero transition includes oil and gas
Meeting Canada’s commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require fundamental changes to many sectors of our economy, including transportation, manufacturing, and power generation. The sector most affected by this commitment, however, is likely Canada’s oil and gas industry. For some, Canada’s commitment to net zero means there is no future for oil and […]
Municipalities have tools to influence positive environmental action
Canada has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. As a nation, we have started to get serious about putting the needed policies in place. There is now a broader educated understanding of “the why”—and more […]
The new climate denialism
Over the years, the language of climate denialism has changed. First, those funded by the oil and gas industry gave some half-baked ideas about how the climate wasn’t actually changing. Then they explained, yes, the climate is changing, but it always has. Then, that humans weren’t causing it. Thankfully, these versions of denial are behind us. Sadly, […]
Renewable energy transition is possible now in Canada
We already are seeing the impacts of climate change here in Canada, where communities are increasingly exposed to drought, heat domes, and flooding from atmospheric rivers. And it’s going to get worse—the planet will keep warming until we stop adding carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Canada has managed to hold carbon emissions steady since 2005, but […]
Canada’s economy may not benefit from spike in oil prices, say economists
Canada’s economy isn’t likely to reap much benefit from climbing oil prices, despite the potentially long-lasting impacts of sanctions imposed against Russia as a reaction to the country’s conflict with Ukraine, according to economists. “Even if we get a resolution to this, the sanctions are going to stick around for a long time. That is […]
Energy
Critics question Freeland’s claim Trans Mountain pipeline project commercially viable
Despite Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s announcement last week that the federal government would spend “no additional public money” on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, supporters and opponents of the deeply divisive project both say it is unlikely Ottawa can sell the pipeline without providing some kind of financial backstop to potential buyers. Freeland’s statement came […]
Regional concerns must inform ‘just transition’ legislation, say experts, as Wilkinson acknowledges energy worker anxiety
As the federal government embarks on a whole-of-government approach to climate action, with all eyes on the introduction of long-awaited “just transition” legislation to help particularly vulnerable workers adapt and retrain for the green energy economy, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson recently acknowledged the “anxiety that workers in some industries feel about the energy transition.” […]
Liberals eye carbon capture tax credit as key piece of net-zero plan, but critics see more fossil-fuel subsidies on horizon
Look to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to introduce a tax credit for carbon capture projects in this year’s budget, say observers, flagging that the credit’s final design will be a signal of just how much weight the government is putting behind the initiative. Supporters of the promised tax credit for carbon capture, utilization, and storage […]
