Canada prides itself on green initiatives and commitments to climate change. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been vocal about his climate strategies, often declaring steadfast resolutions at the G7 meetings. But is Canada really green or greedy?
Canada’s Steps Toward Reduction:
To promote sustainable land use, Canada is a global ambassador in promoting market mechanisms like carbon taxes. These have generally been effective at reducing emissions and leading toward investments in green technologies.
In 2015, Canada committed $2.65 billion in climate finance over a five-year period to support climate change in developing countries. Canada is working to mobilize private sector investment and innovation so that clean technologies can be adopted in methods of production.
Canada’s Role in the Paris Agreement:
Canada supports long-term goals set out under the Paris Agreement and is a collaborative ally in implementing the agreement and supporting initiatives that help others advocate for climate action. Not only does Canada work in tandem with governments to reach collective targets under the Paris Agreement, but also with sub-national governments and non-state actors in finding solutions.
The Paris Agreement:
An agreement within the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), that deals with greenhouse gas emission reduction starting in the year 2020.
The main goal of the Paris Agreement is to strengthen the global response to climate change by keeping the global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius about pre-industrial levels. It is also to bulldoze efforts to limit temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Under the Paris Agreement, each country determines and reports their contribution to reduce global warming. Each target should surpass the previous one.
How Canada Measures Up:
After Canada signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, it set targets to cut emissions to 30% below what it was in 2005 by the year 2030. Currently, it isn’t looking to set targets higher. In fact, the country is working on meeting existing targets, with most analyses suggesting that it would be at least 50 million tonnes short of meeting its goals by 2030 unless greater efforts are made.
During a meeting last month in Belgium, Canada signed a “declaration of ambition” stating it would explore the possibilities to increase its climate change ambitions. This was the second ministerial meeting in which Canada met with the EU and China on their climate change alliance.
Canada may be between a rock and a hard place because of its contentious decisions regarding green belt expansion in Ontario, and its likely decision to adapt the trans mountain pipeline. We can only hope Canada makes the right choices.
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