TORONTO | Traditional territory of many nations – including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples – and now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples — Canada’s newly released aviation emissions reduction plan is a significant step backwards in the country’s fight against climate change, according to the David Suzuki Foundation. With no commitment to serious emissions reduction by 2030, Canada has failed to show global leadership, and falls behind other countries, such as Germany, that have set more ambitious near-term targets.
“We’re in a climate crisis but you wouldn’t know it looking at Canada’s new plan to reduce aviation emissions,” said Gideon Forman, climate change and transportation policy analyst at the David Suzuki Foundation. “There’s really no immediate actionable plan at all. This was our chance to be bold, show global leadership and take a major step toward a sustainable future, and we didn’t take it.”
The new federal plan, developed in consultation with the aviation industry, has no 2030 targets beyond a weak aspirational goal that 10 per cent of airline fuel in 2030 will be deemed “sustainable” and derived from non-petroleum sources.
“We’ve arguably passed the point of safe return when it comes to rising carbon emissions,” Forman said. “This was the airline industry’s chance to step up and do its fair share to reduce emissions. Shame on the government for putting the burden back on individuals for almost another three decades.”
Canada’s last aviation emissions plan was released in 2012 with no near-term reduction targets. Between 2005 and 2019, Canadian airlines’ emissions rose by 74 per cent, from 12.6 million to 22 million tonnes. In contrast, countries such as Denmark and Sweden have pledged to make all domestic flights fossil-fuel-free by 2030.
“While the plan is disappointing, this isn’t the end of the journey,” Forman said. “Lufthansa has set its own goal of reducing emissions by 50 per cent by 2030. Meanwhile, Air Canada says it will reduce emissions by 20 per cent by 2030. We need more companies to see the value of taking climate action. More people are looking to support corporate social responsibility. Companies can take the lead even if our government can’t.”
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For more information or a media interview, please contact:
Stefanie Carmichael, scarmichael@davidsuzuki.org, 437-221-4692
The David Suzuki Foundation (DavidSuzuki.org | @DavidSuzukiFdn) is a leading Canadian environmental non-profit organization, founded in 1990. We operate in English and French, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. We collaborate with all people in Canada, including First Nations leadership and communities, governments, businesses and individuals to find solutions to create a sustainable Canada through scientific research, traditional ecological knowledge, communications and public engagement, and innovative policy and legal solutions. Our mission is to protect nature’s diversity and the well-being of all life, now and for the future.