Spend climate-change funding on Canadian research, Wall urges

REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said the federal government should consider cutting money intended to help developing countries tackle climate change and using it for research in Canada that could reduce global emissions.

Wall wants to see the $2.6 billion Ottawa has earmarked for developing countries added to an existing $2-billion federal lowcarbon economy trust.

The premier said Saskatchewan has already laid the groundwork with a $1.5-billion carbon-capture facility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a coalfired power plant.

“Let’s develop the technology. We can do that here in Canada,” Wall said Tuesday after releasing a policy proposal on climate change. “We would be better to focus on developing the technologies here, where we already have those capacities, and make them available to the Third World.”

Wall has pointed to a report released in December at the Paris climate-change summit which said there are more than 2,400 coal-fired plants planned or under construction globally. Developing technology that can be used anywhere to reduce emissions “is the logical response if we actually want to solve the problem.”

Keith Stewart of Greenpeace Canada said research shows carbon capture and storage is one of the most expensive ways to reduce emissions “and the only people who really like it are coal companies.”

“Brad Wall is basically proposing to take action on climate change in the most expensive way possible,” Stewart said.

“That is not conservative. That’s not good for taxpayers. That’s not good for people who are going to have to live with the impacts of climate change.”

Wall’s proposal to cut money from developing countries “is a slap in the face” to anyone who wants a constructive debate on fighting climate change, Stewart added.

“He is now saying we should take back the money dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable people from the ravages of global climate change and hand it back to oil companies.”

The Pembina Institute, which does research on climate change and other energy issues, called Wall “out of step with economists and business leaders” who it said support carbon pricing.

“In reality, an economy-wide carbon price is a critical tool for Saskatchewan — and for Canada — to support private-sector innovation and low-carbon economic development,” said Erin Flanagan, the institute’s director of federal policy.