Energy

Climate experts and the federal Green Party say Canada’s new commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is severely lacking. "It's a disgrace,” said Green MP Elizabeth May.

Canada's environment minister has proposed changes to the bill that would make the federal government more accountable as it strives to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. 

A forthcoming major UN report will show that nations need to accelerate methane cuts in order to avoid more extreme climate change.

The Ontario government has proposed repealing measures that made it easier to build new renewable energy projects. Critics say the changes would be a significant step backwards.

Canada’s new greenhouse gas reduction target under the Paris Agreement will be 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

None of Canada’s big five banks were founding signatories of the UN-convened Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) that promised April 21 to align investment portfolios with science-based climate targets starting in 2030.

Summit Carbon Solutions says it is developing a US$2-billion pipeline project that will carry carbon dioxide captured from ethanol refineries scattered across the Midwest to a site in North Dakota where it will be pumped thousands of feet underground.

Industry is excited about the budget's carbon-capture investments. But the technology is still expensive, and projects have not performed to expectations. Environmentalists worry it will lock us in to fossil fuels. Will Trudeau's wager pay off?

The 2021 federal budget represented a pivot towards a national industrial strategy for achieving emissions reductions, said Sahir Khan, co-founder and executive vice-president at the University of Ottawa's Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy.

On Thursday, Erin O’Toole, leader of the official Opposition Conservative Party, released his long-awaited climate plan, complete with its own price on pollution, meaning that all the major national political parties now support some form of carbon pricing.

As nations tackle the climate emergency and markets "drive a low-carbon economic transition, we need to make sure our investments line up with this reality,” said New York State comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the trustee of the US$247-billion fund.

"It’s super important that we send this strong message, in that we’re already doing this, and put our policies in a framework that is palatable to young people and progressives."

The Ontario Clean Air Alliance wants an interim moratorium on the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station’s operation, citing the potential for a nuclear meltdown.

Tariq Fancy once oversaw the start of the biggest effort to turn Wall Street "green" — but now believes the climate crisis can never be solved by today’s free markets.

The 2021 Liberal National Convention runs April 8 to 10, while the NDP’s Convention 2021 runs April 9 to 11. Both events are being held virtually.