The number of Canadians who want the federal carbon tax reduced or eliminated far evidently far outweighs the number who want it to remain in effect. This is according to the results of a new national poll which also indicates that most respondents believe the federal “net zero” emissions goal is impracticable. [node:read-more:link]
The independent Canadian Climate Institute estimates that national carbon emissions rose slightly in 2022 from 2021, leaving the country well short of its goal of a 40-45% reduction from 2005 levels by 2030. Petroleum production and buildings remain the key underlying factors, part of a long-term trend the CCI expects to offset progress elsewhere and underscoring “the pressing need to speed up policy action at all levels of government.” [node:read-more:link]
When it was noted by a moderator at a UN Climate Ambition Summit September 20 that Canada remains a major fossil fuel source, Prime Minister Trudeau replied that Canada is on track to address the industry’s methane emissions. Draft regulations due before year’s end would allow Canada to meet or exceed its goal of a 75% reduction from 2012 levels by 2030. [node:read-more:link]
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with the challenges of climate change, sustainable development, poverty, the coronavirus pandemic aftermath and even the UN’s fundamental roles are casting a gloomy shadow over New York this week. There is particular focus on a potential September 20 face-off between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. [node:read-more:link]
With the World Meteorological Organization confirming that the northern hemisphere is experiencing its hottest summer on record, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said today that “the dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting” and that “climate breakdown has begun.” [node:read-more:link]
European Union greenhouse gas emissions fell 2.9% in the first quarter of 2023 from year-earlier levels even as the bloc's economy grew by 1.1% in the same period. As the EU pushes toward net-zero emissions by 2050, its statistics agency reported August 16 that 21 of its 27 members had reported reduced emissions in the latest period. [node:read-more:link]
Environment and climate change ministers from Canada and the other members of the G-20 group ended their latest summit July 28 without an agreement or joint statement despite calls for a united front. Their countries emit some 80% of global greenhouse gases. [node:read-more:link]
As U.S. climate envoy John Kerry called during a visit to Beijing for more rapid action on carbon emissions, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping said July 18 that his country is “unwavering” in its campagn to curb emissions. But he also said that “the path, method, pace and intensity to achieve this goal should and must be determined by ourselves. [node:read-more:link]
More than 200 countries signed on to a UN pact last year to create a fund to help developing countries cope with climate change and some want the major economies to pay for past greenhouse gas emissions. However, before heading to China for climate change talks, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry says the U.S. will not pay reparations “under any circumstances.” [node:read-more:link]
Provincial and territorial leaders say the federal government’s clean energy policies could stifle Canada’s competitiveness while increasing costs to consumers and industry. They aired their grievances July 12 at the close of their latest annual conference. [node:read-more:link]
Volatile prices, supply chain snarls and geopolitical tensions remain a challenge in global market for minerals crucial to development of “clean energy” options. Reporting this today, the International Energy Agency said that the global value of the market for minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper has doubled since 2017. [node:read-more:link]
The World Meteorological Organization reported July 10 that sea ice levels in Antarctica were at record lows in June, the hottest for that month on record since satellite observations began. “We're used to seeing these big reductions in sea ice in the Arctic, but not in the Antarctic,” a WHO official said. [node:read-more:link]
Facing surging electricity demands, the Ontario government announced July 6 that it wants to add a third nuclear generating station at its station on the shore of Lake Huron on the Bruce Peninsula. Bruce Power has two stations with eight reactors and Energy Minister Todd Smith said the goal is an addition 4.8 gigawatts of generating capacity, which would nearly double current output as the province moves away from fossil-fuel options. [node:read-more:link]
Wood Buffalo National Park on the Alberta-NWT border, the country’s largest national park and a UN World Heritage Site, remains at risk due not only to climate change but also hydroelectric and petroleum development, according to a UN agency. “Expansion of existing oilsands projects has continued without full consideration of the potential impacts,” it says. [node:read-more:link]
New data from the Washington-based World Resources Institute indicate that the political will to end deforestation continues to fade. The latest agreement, at the 2021 climate summit in Glasgow, was supposed to improve things from a pledge seven years earlier, but the world in 2022 was more than a million hectares short of being able to achieve net zero deforestation by the stated goal of 2030. [node:read-more:link]
