Charles DeLand – What’s Under the Hood of Ottawa’s Emissions Reduction Roadster?
To: Canadians Concerned about Climate Change From: Charles DeLand Date: February 22, 2023 Re: What’s Under the Hood of Ottawa’s Emissions Reduction Roadster? Like many governments around the world, Canada’s federal government proposes significant policy changes to reduce emissions. More than just significant, the changes propose to alter many industries. This is not to say there will not be […] Canada On Track to Miss Ottawa’s Emissions Reduction Target by Half
Last March, Ottawa announced its target for greenhouse gas emissions in 2030. It wants them reduced 40 percent by 2030, from 740 million tonnes (MT) of CO2-equivalent in 2019 to 442 MT. Setting targets is a lot easier than hitting them. Ottawa’s Emissions Reduction Plan is long on policies and programs but short on what needs to […] Glen Hodgson – How Should Canada Respond to the US Inflation Reduction Act?
From: Glen Hodgson To: Canadians Interested in Economic Competitiveness Date: January 31, 2023 Re: How Should Canada Respond to the US Inflation Reduction Act? The reality of climate change and the imperative to reduce GHG emissions is now being addressed by policymakers in many countries, most notably in new comprehensive US legislation. The Inflation Reduction Act […] Canada’s Oil Sands Are Poised to Be the Last Barrel Standing
A previous Graphic Intelligence showed that oil sands production will continue if the expected price doesn’t dip persistently below C$40. Even then, some producers will continue to produce at any expected price above the C$15-C$20 range. How does that compare to other competing production? We can gain significant insight into the average costs of conventional […] Brian Livingston – Missing the Emission Reduction Mark: Let Us Count the Ways
The federal government’s ambitious Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) sets out targets for seven economic sectors as it aims to cut 2030 emissions by 42 percent from 2019 levels. But the ERP is merely a plan to have a plan. It contains no specific steps to meet its targets, or any mechanism for measuring the progress towards such […] Oil Sands Production Versus Global Oil Prices
Canadian and global climate change ambitions are generally associated with a goal of reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Within this context, the Canadian oil sands have been characterized as “too expensive” to maintain production if global crude oil demand falls, a view that appears regularly in the media and even in government reports. Canadian oil […] Myers, Papineau – Current Energy Modelling for Buildings is a Roadblock to Net Zero
From: Erica Myers and Maya Papineau To: Green Transition Watchers Date: January 18, 2023 Re: Current Energy Modelling for Buildings is a Roadblock to Net Zero Decarbonization of industry and transportation are often top of mind when considering Canada’s ambitious 2050 net zero emission goals. This often obscures a crucial sector that will determine whether our country can meet […] G. Kent Fellows – Oil Sands are Richer Than You Think
From: G. Kent Fellows To: Oilpatch Observers Date: January 17, 2023 Re: Oil Sands are Richer Than You Think Canadian and global climate change ambitions are generally associated with a reduction of fossil-fuel reliance as a mechanism to reduce carbon emissions. Many major energy authorities including The International Energy Agency and BP Energy (via their Global energy outlook) now […] We won’t make Ottawa’s 2030 emissions targets and it won’t even be close – Financial Post Op-Ed
Last March, Ottawa announced its target for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2030. It wants to reduce them from 740 million tonnes (MT) of CO2-equivalent in 2019 to 442 MT in 2030, a reduction of 298 MT, or 40 per cent. Unfortunately, setting targets is a lot easier than hitting them. Ottawa’s Emissions Reduction Plan is long on policies and programs but short on what will actually need to happen in order to reach these targets.
My own analysis, available on the C. D. Howe Institute website, suggests the 2030 reduction will be, at best, only 158 MT — only a little over halfway to Ottawa’s target.
I get this result with fact-based, bottom-up calculations. Consider …
L’argent pour la biodiversité – La Presse Op-Ed
La nature a beau être aimée de tous, il sera difficile de trouver tout l’argent nécessaire pour stopper, puis renverser sa perte de biodiversité, ai-je constaté en allant fouiner à la COP15. Un beau défi pour la finance durable.
L’expression « 30 x 30 » qui a retenu l’attention fait allusion aux 30 % de la terre et aux 30 % de l’eau qui doivent être protégés d’ici 2030. Mais elle désigne aussi les 30 milliards de dollars américains* d’aide annuelle aux pays en développement promise à partir de 2030.
Ce deuxième 30 x 30 est un compromis. Les pays riches étaient réticents, eux qui n’arrivent pas à livrer les 100 milliards par an promis au Sud pour lutter contre le…
When the wind isn’t blowing, the sun isn’t shining: The case for nuclear energy – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
A great part of Canada’s goal of eliminating emissions from electricity generation by 2050 relies on renewable energy, and the relevant technology is simply not there yet. Wind and solar generate valuable zero-greenhouse-gas power – but only provided there exist low-cost means to “store” surplus electricity not needed by the utility at time of generation but needed later. Without adequate storage, power utilities heavily dependent on wind/solar risk instability.
The problem has not arisen in Canada, but has elsewhere. Advocates of nuclear, including many Canadian power utilities, make the obvious argument in finding a solution: Nuclear power emits no GHGs and is accessible, whether or not the sun is shining and/or the wind is…
Last Barrel Standing? Confronting the Myth of “High-Cost” Canadian Oil Sands Production
Canadian and global climate change ambitions are generally associated with a goal of reducing reliance on fossil fuels as a mechanism to reduce carbon emissions. Within this context, the Canadian oil sands have been characterized as “too expensive” to maintain production if global crude oil demand falls, a view that appears regularly in the media […]