Canada has yet to do its part in fighting climate change
If this country is truly ‘back’ it will need to show it at the COP 21 United Nations conference in Paris, Leehi Yona says.
“Canada is back!” federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna proudly proclaimed earlier this month.
She was addressing a room full of national leaders at a pre-meeting for the COP21 United Nations climate change negotiations that will begin in a few days, in Paris.
I was excited to hear those words. As someone who has been following Canada’s behaviour at nine of these conferences, I was ecstatic finally to be able to shed the shame I had typically experienced under the Harper government. The Canada intent on stalling the UN process, a country that disregarded the threat of climate change and the impact of fossilfuel extraction on First Nations communities — a Canada that was very much un-Canadian — is gone. We are back.
But, are we, yet? We have had a change in government, but have we had a change in climate policy?
Each country within the UN climate process was required to submit its own national contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. So far, it looks as if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still planning to take Harper’s plan to these climate talks — a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.6 per cent based on 1990 levels by 2030. When pressed on this plan earlier last week, McKenna said, “You can’t just come up with targets out of thin air.” She’s right — but there has already been a wealth of research that has been conducted to inform better targets. A report by McGill and UNESCO’s Sustainable Canada Dialogues found that Canada could source 100 per cent of its energy from “low-carbon electricity” by 2035. Another study conducted by Stanford University found that 139 countries — including Canada — could transition to 100 per cent solar, wind and water energy by 2050.
And Canadians want this change. An Oraclepoll Research survey conducted this month found that 70 per cent of Canadians want the federal government to “legally enforce limits on carbon pollution,” while more than 84 per cent want the government to help stimulate the renewable energy economy.
Our elected leaders are starting to take notice. On Sunday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley unveiled a plan to limit the province’s oil production and to invest in renewable energy jobs. The province — the largest consumer of coal in the country — also announced it would phase coal out of use by 2030 and implement a carbon tax. Members of civil society acknowledged the initiative is a significant first step — but this at a time when we need a marathon on these issues.
Nonetheless, Notley’s announcement was significant: the province, which contains the world’s third-largest oil reserves, in effect acknowledged that fossil fuels don’t have a future. This is the kind of ambition we require from our leaders: an acknowledgement of the severity of climate change, and an understanding that renewable energy sources are already profitable and on their way.
Moving into the COP21 talks this week, Canadians will expect more of this type of leadership from Canada. We will expect cooperation — no more bullying or backroom deals of the past.
We expect more ambition on the part of our prime minister and federal environment minister. The current plan being delivered to the UN falls short. Trudeau can do more. Canada is taking nowhere near its fair share of responsibility for climate change.
We also expect Canada to pledge to stop subsidizing fossil fuels. There is absolutely no reason why we should be spending $2.74 billion taxpayer dollars on subsidies, including tax breaks, for an industry that is among the most profitable in the world.
It is clear that when it comes to climate change, it is time for our leaders to move beyond their rhetoric and walk their talk. As a young Canadian, I would love for the Canada I know — an international symbol of peaceful diplomacy, kindness and fairness — to be back. It’s time Trudeau and McKenna play their part.