Key takeaways:
- Canada has failed to curb greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming, according to the environment commissioner.
- DeMarco did consider the government’s commitments this year, but he pointed out that Ottawa has yet to release an updated climate strategy.
As per the environment commissioner, Canada has failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions connected to global warming, rating it as the “worst performer” among the Group of Seven industrialized nations.
Jerry DeMarco, an independent parliamentary investigator, published a series of papers looking at decades of government climate action that resulted in a more than 20% increase in emissions since 1990.
“Since the landmark, Paris Agreement on climate change was enacted in 2015, Canada has become the worst performance of all G7 nations,” DeMarco, who is also the environment commissioner, said at a press conference.
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“We can’t keep failing to succeed; we need action and outcomes, not just more targets and plans,” he stated.
DeMarco cited a government fund to assist Canada’s oil and gas sector in reducing CO2 emissions as an example. A total of 40 projects were funded, allowing businesses to enhance their output and emissions.
He also said that a dozen government ministries’ reports on sustainable development were inadequate. “For about half of their efforts, they didn’t record results,” he said.
While Canada only accounts for roughly 1.6 percent of worldwide CO2 emissions, it is one of the top ten greatest polluters and highest per-capita emitters.
The country is also the fourth-largest producer and exporter of oil in the world. While domestic consumption declines, Canada’s energy regulator predicts that exports will increase fossil fuel production.
Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault praised the results but pointed out that the commissioner’s “retrospective analysis” ignores more than a hundred current Ottawa initiatives.
Proposed green home upgrades, a cap on oil and gas emissions, and an increase in electric vehicle sales are among them.
Guilbeault also mentioned a carbon tax, which will increase to Can$170 per tonne by 2030.
DeMarco did consider the government’s commitments this year, but he pointed out that Ottawa has yet to release an updated climate strategy. Furthermore, the most recent data on emissions are for 2019.
To get Canada back on track to achieve its revised objective of decreasing emissions 40 to 45 % below 2005 levels by 2030, the commissioner determined that a concerted government effort on various policies, including the targeting of high-emission businesses, is required.
Source: NDTV News
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