Tag Archives: Canada emissions

Energy, Environment

Carney open to changing major environment policies so projects can ‘move forward’

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By Natasha Bulowski, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

Prime Minister Mark Carney worried environmentalists after he opened the door to changing federal impact assessment legislation and the oil and gas emissions cap in a recent interview.

“We will change things at the federal level that need to be changed in order for projects to move forward,” Carney told CTV News in an interview on Tuesday.

He was asked if this included Bill C-69 — the federal Impact Assessment Act — and a yet-to-be-finalized cap on oil and gas sector emissions.

“Absolutely, it could include both,” Carney responded.

Continue reading Carney open to changing major environment policies so projects can ‘move forward’ →
Cost of Climate Change, Energy

Are Oil and Gas emissions holding Canada back from reaching its climate goals?

On March 21, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a press release stating that in 2023 Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped to their lowest level in 27 years (excluding the pandemic years). The exception in this otherwise positive picture was the oil and gas sector, where emissions continue to rise. However there is good news within that sector as well, ‘fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from oil and natural gas have decreased by 33% between 2013–2023, driven in part by Canada’s 2020 oil and gas methane regulations, which have reduced methane venting and leaks.’  

“The two main messages from the National Inventory report last week, which I feel are really important, is that climate policy works. Over the last 10 years, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions have gone down. Our methane emissions have gone down. Our electricity has become less emissions intensive, and all of that has happened while our economy has grown. This is a significant point to make. And this is something that environmental groups, activists, researchers, community leaders, all of them have been saying for decades,” responded Aly Hyder Ali, from Environmental Defence. 

“The other aspect of the report was that the oil and gas industry is holding us back. The oil and gas industry has failed to do its part when it comes to emissions reductions and if it was able to or willing to do that, Canadians would be in a much better place.”

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Energy, Politics

A Peek Into Big Oil’s Playbook with Environmental Defence

Environmental Defence just released a report showing that last year oil and gas company lobbyists were targeting the Conservative Party, in preference to the Canadian Government, by more than a 2 to 1 ratio. Cortes Currents interviewed Emilia Belliveau, lead author of ‘Big Oil’s Playbook, A Summary of Big Oil’s 2024 Federal Lobbying’ and asked Max Thaysen, from the Cortes Island Climate Action Network for his insights.  

Emilia Belliveau:  “Environmental Defence is a charity, so we are nonpartisan. What I can do is simply relay the facts, which are that the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party did not take any lobbyist meetings. The NDP took a very small number, four. Then you have most of the lobby meetings targeting the Federal Liberals and the Federal Conservatives. The Federal Liberals had 62 meetings with ministers and 29 meetings with backbencher MPs, and Conservative MPs took 216  lobby meetings.”

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Cost of Climate Change

The Quadra Project: The Sinking of Carbon Sinks

Of the 37.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide we emitted into the atmosphere in 2024 from burning fossil fuels, about half was sequestered by the planet’s oceans, soils, forests and other natural processes. But evidence is suggesting a weakening of this service, some of which is related to heat—and 2024, was the hottest year ever recorded since we were a Homo species inhabiting Earth. Among other factors, photosynthesis—the process that plants use to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into sugars and an oxygen byproduct—begins to slow when temperatures rise too high, until it stops at 45°C. Consequently, certain areas of the planet sequestered absolutely no CO2 in 2023.

“We’re seeing cracks in the resilience of Earth’s systems. We’re seeing massive cracks on land—terrestrial ecosystems are losing their carbon store and uptake capacity, but the oceans are also showing signs of instability,” says Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (“Are Earth’s Carbon Sinks Collapsing?” by Patrick Greenfield, The Guardian Weekly, October 25, 2024). “Nature has so far balanced our abuse. This is coming to an end.” Should this happen, we will be unable to meet any of our climate goals.

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Cost of Climate Change, Politics

Canada’s 2035 climate ambition was weakened by the new Trump reality

By John Woodside, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

When U.S. President Donald Trump was elected in November, Canadian officials issued a  weaker than expected 2035 emission reduction target to account for the  new political reality.

In an interview with Canada’s National Observer,  Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said that  after the U.S. election, the government looked at the opportunities and  weighed the risks. Competitiveness was top of mind, more so than tariff  threat, he said.

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