VANCOUVER — As the window of opportunity to act on climate change narrows, Canada can set itself on a path to zero out carbon pollution by the middle of this century, as climate science says is required, a new report by the David Suzuki Foundation confirms.
“Responding to the urgency of climate change can feel overwhelming, but our research confirms we have the solutions and strategies needed to drive national actions and innovations to meet our climate commitments,” David Suzuki Foundation climate solutions policy analyst and report author Tom Green said. “Now, we need to build consensus on a thoughtful, widely supported plan to speed up the energy transition.”
Zeroing in on Emissions: Charting Canada’s Clean Power Pathways reviews global and Canadian decarbonization models and studies and highlights 10 technically feasible actions that experts agree, when taken together, will be front and centre in any credible effort to meet Canada’s Paris Agreement commitments of limiting warming to 2 C by mid-century.
“These 10 strategies are a litmus test that all climate plans during the 2019 federal election should be held accountable to,” Green said. “Actions such as pricing and limiting carbon pollution, prioritizing electrification with clean energy sources and accelerating industry investment in zero carbon solutions must be part of any credible climate plan in 2019.”
The report lays the foundation for a three-year project called Clean Power Pathways, aimed at building support for a set of actions to dramatically reduce Canada’s energy-related emissions by 2050. The project is a collaboration between university researchers and the Foundation on actions that will transition Canada’s energy system at a scope, scale and speed in line with the scientific consensus to avoid climate breakdown. The project is developing an energy-transition road map and including Canadians in the conversation about solutions and choices.
“Time is of the essence, not only for our climate, but for Canada as a competitive G20 nation,” Foundation science and policy director Ian Bruce said. “We risk missing out on big economic opportunities and jobs if we don’t move quickly toward a post-carbon global economy. Our future will be determined by the choices we make now.”
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Theresa Beer: tbeer@davidsuzuki.org, 778-874-3396