• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
Celebrating our 1,000th edition. The climate news you need
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  FEATURED
EXCLUSIVE: Hydrogen is Up, Pieridae is Out as German Chancellor Preps for Canada Visit August 15, 2022
Historic Climate Bill Passes U.S. House, Goes to Biden for Signature August 15, 2022
BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package August 7, 2022
Researchers Point To ‘Dangerously Unexplored’ Risk of Global Climate Catastrophe August 2, 2022
Koch Network Pressures Manchin, Sinema as Advocates Praise ‘Game Changing’ Climate Deal August 2, 2022
Next
Prev

Canadian First Ministers Agree on Wide Climate Action

March 4, 2016
Reading time: 3 minutes
Primary Author: Mitchell Beer @mitchellbeer

 

Woman engineer or architect with white safety hat and wind turbines on backgroundCanada is moving toward a “pan-Canadian framework for clean growth and climate change that will meet or exceed [its] international emissions targets, and will transition our country to a stronger, more resilient, low-carbon economy—while also improving our quality of life,” First Ministers unanimously declared at the end of their much-anticipated meeting in Vancouver March 3.

The communiqué at the end of the meeting included a federal commitment to invest in green infrastructure, transit, and energy-efficient social infrastructure, while working with provinces and territories to advance electric vehicle deployment and “lever federal investments in the Low Carbon Economy Fund to realize incremental emission reductions.”

Ottawa will also “foster dialogue and the development of regional plans for clean electricity transmission to reduce emissions,” help Indigenous and other remote communities replace costly, polluting diesel generators with renewable energy, and double its investment in clean energy research and development over the next five years.

“We know that a fair transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy is necessary for our collective prosperity, competitiveness, health, and security,” the First Ministers stated. “Taking smart and effective action today is essential for future generations. These decisions will put Canada at the forefront of the global clean growth economy, and will create opportunities to diversify our economies, open up access to new markets, reduce emissions, and generate good paying, long-term jobs for Canadians.”

To flesh out the details of a pan-Canadian action plan, the First Ministers agreed to form working groups on cleantech innovation and jobs, carbon pricing, climate change mitigation, and adaptation and climate resilience. The working groups will report to ministers by October, in time for the results to be reflected in the 2017 budget.

At a late afternoon roundtable during the GLOBE environmental technology conference, moderator Allan Gregg of Earnscliffe Strategy Group asked four provincial premiers whether the meeting had moved Canada any farther ahead on climate.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the meeting produced “clear consensus” on the need for action, and on the “fundamental principles” that would guide that action. More specifically, “there was a general consensus on the issue of pricing carbon,” and “there was nobody there trying to avoid doing anything.”

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said premiers are looking to the working group process to come up with the “most efficient, cost-effective way to reduce our carbon footprint,” recognizing that “we’re not going to meet the targets that were agreed to in Paris” given Canada’s current emissions trajectory. After the working groups have reported, she added, premiers will “have another honest conversation about what we need to do more of.”

While there may have been no consensus before the meeting on carbon pricing as a part of the solution, Wynne said, “now there is.”

During the roundtable, Notley, Wynne, and Premiers Philippe Couillard of Quebec and Greg Selinger of Manitoba all stressed the importance of reinvesting carbon pricing revenues to build their provinces’ clean energy economies. Notley said Alberta’s current economic situation would mean moving the money quickly, rather than waiting to build up a provincial fund. Selinger said a revenue-neutral carbon tax may have been a valid policy option when British Columbia introduced it in 2008, but economic stimulus is now a must.

In the days leading up to the First Ministers’ meeting, a group of Canadian scientists issued an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, advising him not to direct federal infrastructure funds to fossil fuel development, while a group of 50 cleantech executives from British Columbia called for $1 billion in loan guarantees for capital costs, plus $1.25 billion in new incentives over the next five years through Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

The 28 scientists, members of Sustainable Canada Dialogues, noted that global oil markets have permanently changed, prices are unlikely to rise significantly, and it’s questionable whether the $120 billion already committed to pipeline and tar sands/oil sands development will ever be profitable.

“Refocusing investment on renewable energy providers would shift oil and pipeline workers to building energy production systems that take advantage of Canada’s renewable energy potential,” they wrote. “The transition to a low-carbon society and economy will enhance prosperity and well-being, modernize infrastructure, develop regional renewable energy sources, and create new businesses and new jobs.”

The cleantech execs noted that Canada has been the world’s third-biggest loser in cleantech market share since 2008, falling from 14th to 19th place. During the GLOBE conference Thursday, participants heard that cleantech is the world’s fastest-growing sector, and the loss of market share had cost Canada $125 billion in economic activity.

“To invest in a strong cleantech industry is to invest in a diversified, innovative, knowledge-based economy,” the executives wrote. “The world will produce and consume more than $1 trillion of cleantech solutions. The only question is whether Canada will be a buyer or a seller.”



in Auto & Alternative Vehicles, Canada, Carbon Levels & Measurement, Clean Electricity Grid, Climate & Society, Community Climate Finance, Demand & Distribution, Ending Emissions, First Peoples, Jobs & Training, Jurisdictions, Off-Grid, Transit

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

TGEGASENGINEERING/Wikimedia Commons
Energy Politics

EXCLUSIVE: Hydrogen is Up, Pieridae is Out as German Chancellor Preps for Canada Visit

August 15, 2022
748
Steve Jurvetson/flickr
International Security & War

The Other Kind of Climate Change: Even a ‘Limited’ Nuclear War Would Trigger Starvation, Kill Billions

August 15, 2022
2
/Pikist
United States

Historic Climate Bill Passes U.S. House, Goes to Biden for Signature

August 15, 2022
221

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

TGEGASENGINEERING/Wikimedia Commons

EXCLUSIVE: Hydrogen is Up, Pieridae is Out as German Chancellor Preps for Canada Visit

August 15, 2022
748
Brocken Inaglory/wikimedia commons

State-Wide Megastorm Driven by Global Heating Could Drench California for a Month

August 15, 2022
437
/Pikist

Historic Climate Bill Passes U.S. House, Goes to Biden for Signature

August 15, 2022
221
Vinaykumar8687/WikimediaCommons

Solar On Track for ‘Staggering’ 30% Growth This Year

August 15, 2022
157
UK Black Tech/wikimedia commons

U.S. Tech Workers Leaving High-Paying Jobs to Focus on Climate Crisis

August 15, 2022
122
United States Marine Core/Wikimedia Commons

Distributed Energy Gains Ground With Mobile Microgrids, Vehicle-to-Grid Technology

August 15, 2022
114

Recent Posts

Steve Jurvetson/flickr

The Other Kind of Climate Change: Even a ‘Limited’ Nuclear War Would Trigger Starvation, Kill Billions

August 15, 2022
2
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Arctic Warms 4 Times Faster than Global Average, Surpassing Estimates 

August 15, 2022
73
rawpixel

Common Medications Foil Body’s Ability to Cope with Hot Weather

August 15, 2022
92
Max Pixel

Slashing Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution Can Improve Crop Yields, Study Finds

August 15, 2022
50
David Hawgood/Geograph

E-Bikes a ‘Faster and Fairer’ Emissions Solution than Electric Cars

August 15, 2022
103
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region/wikimedia commons

Researchers Study Carbon Loss, Forest Impacts of Northwest Territories ‘Zombie Fires’

August 15, 2022
23
Next Post
A temple site at the ancient city of Angkor overrun by jungle.

Climate helped to trigger Angkor’s fall

The Energy Mix

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}