Trump effect at climate talks
Attendees at Morocco event wonder if plan to cut emissions will be hurt
Alberta government and industry representatives in Morocco for the latest round of United Nations climate talks will be dealing with a significantly altered landscape in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election.
The U.S. president-elect — who has promised to accelerate fossil fuel development and once called climate change a hoax invented by the Chinese to undermine American manufacturing — vowed during the campaign to “cancel” the landmark deal struck at last year’s climate conference in Paris.
That agreement saw more than 190 countries make formal commitments to cut carbon emissions, but the prospect of a Trump presidency has many at this year’s summit in Marrakech wondering how much progress can be made if the U.S. is not willing to participate.
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers president and CEO Tim McMillan, who is in attendance at the event, said at every panel session he’s sat in on since Tuesday, the conversation has turned to the implications of a Trump presidency.
“There’s been a lot of speculation, and a real sense that it would change things, but no one can articulate exactly how until the new president and the new administration take office and set a clear direction,” McMillan said.
Trump said during his campaign he would approve Keystone XL, the $8-billion TransCanada Corp. pipeline that would give Alberta energy producers greater access to U.S. markets but was rejected by President Barack Obama.
But McMillan said if Trump isn’t willing to play ball on the climate file, there could be competitiveness concerns for Canadian producers. For example, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. in June jointly announced major reductions on methane emissions as part of a broader North American climate and clean energy strategy.
“I believe that allowed us to be more ambitious than we otherwise could have been, because we compete for the same markets as producers south of our border. If we’re all investing in new technologies, if we’re all changing our infrastructure, those competitive issues aren’t dictated by borders,” he said. “Does this change that approach? I don’t know.”
Concerns have also been raised that carbon pricing policies could hurt Canada’s industry if it becomes clear the U.S. has no intention of implementing one. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said in a statement Wednesday that it “makes no sense” for the federal government to push ahead with a national carbon tax when Canada’s biggest trading partner, and biggest competitor for investment and jobs, won’t have one.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — who announced last month that he’d impose a national floor price on carbon dioxide emissions starting in 2018 and rising to $50 per tonne by 2022 — indicated Thursday the plan is still full speed ahead. He said Canadians and the world understand that failing to fight climate change has a big economic downside, and he defended carbon pricing as a means of fostering innovation and improving the economy.
“We know that putting a price on carbon pollution is a way to improve our response to economic challenges, to create good jobs going forward and to show leadership that quite frankly the entire world is looking for, along with the solutions that go with it,” Trudeau said in Sydney, N.S.
Alberta Environment Minister Shannon Phillips, who departed for Marrakech on Thursday evening, said the province’s Climate Leadership Plan was designed for the Alberta economy, and Trump’s election doesn’t change that.
“Our work remains the same on November 9 as it was on November 7,” Phillips said. “Our values and commitment to the environment and the economy going hand in hand remain the same.”
If we’re all investing in new technologies, if we’re all changing our infrastructure those competitive issues aren’t dictated by borders.