Month: January 2022

Q1. What opportunities do you think the Government of Canada should pursue to reduce emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and position Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, including in any or all of the following economic sectors? Please elaborate on your answers where appropriate, including any specific insights on policy opportunities or initiatives.

Q1 – Buildings

Since buildings are the source of 12% of our GHG emissions, the reasonable first step is to stop building buildings we know need expensive retrofits to get to NetZero.

It’s economical to build to standards we know are necessary.

Since time is of the essence, we need a moratorium on new buildings until we set and adopt a nation-wide net zero emissions building code for 2022, while concurrently developing a model retrofit building code.

Government commitments of $100 million for EV charging stations and grants up to $5000 for home retrofits is a start, but doesn’t go far enough. Especially amid Covid-19 economic challenges, offering homeowners grants to cover a percentage of needed retrofits will help only homeowners with the wherewithal to rennovate. We haven’t the luxury of abandoning homes—and homeowners— who can’t.

Banks could also be obliged to provide low or no-interest loans to retrofit homes.

Q1 – Electricity

Electrify everything and clean up how electricity is produced. Phase out coal but not by switching to natural gas. We need to phase out natural gas too. Nuclear is both too slow to get up and running and too expensive. Do not invest in LNG.

Q1 – Oil and Gas

Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies NOW, as promised in 2015.

Phase-out public financing of the fossil fuel sector, including from Crown corporations.

Q1 – Transportation

We need to electrify transportation With EVs and zero fare public transit. Build intercity transit, implement high performance rail.

Stop subsidizing airlines.

Stop building highways.

Incentivise development of compact, mixed-use communities, and promote work from home and co-share work spaces.

Q1 – Agriculture and Waste

Keep your promise of “Triple funding for cleantech on farms, including for renewable energy, precision agriculture, and energy efficiency.”

We need food security, but we also need to revisit the whole idea of animal agriculture and factory farms.

Stop promising to ban single use plastic and DO IT.

Reduce and eliminate plastic production. Recycling is not enough.

Q1 – Nature Based Climate Solutions

Support conservation of wildlife habitat, nature conservation, wetland restoration, and recreation. Planting seedlings is no replacement for mature trees, especially old growth. Promote bamboo and hemp as alternative quick renewable replacement for paper plastic and wood fibre.

Q1 – Economy-wide (e.g., carbon pricing, climate-risk disclosure, sustainable finance, etc.)

Revenue Neutral Carbon Fee and Dividend is the carbon pricing gold standard but the price has to rise much more rapidly.

Q2. What do you see as the barriers or challenges to reducing emissions in these sectors? Do you have suggestions on how to overcome these barriers?

Lack of political will.

Vote.

Proportional Representation.

Q3. What broader economic, technological, or social challenges and opportunities do you foresee resulting from efforts to reduce emissions in these sectors? For example, opportunities associated with economic diversification across sectors. Do you have suggestions on how to address these challenges and opportunities?

No.

Q4. Looking beyond 2030, what enabling measures, strategies or technological pathways do you think the Government of Canada should put in place now to ensure that Canada is on track to net-zero emissions by 2050?

Stop investing in Fossil Fuels.

Stop investing in military expansion and armaments.

Q5. What broader economic, technological, or social issues to you foresee as a result of the transition to a net-zero economy in Canada? Do you have suggestions on how to address these issues?

Our children will have a livable future

Q6. How would you like to be engaged on Canada’s climate plans moving forward? How often should this engagement occur, and what method or format would be preferable?

Every 6 months.

You need to do a better job engaging the public.

This would be okay but not anonymous.

The questions should be posed better.

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I must admit I don’t expect this Liberal government to actually listen. They have been talking about climate action — like stopping fossil fuel subsidies— since 2015. They never actually managed it, yet they did manage to buy a pipeline. Clearly I have good reason to be skeptical. Nonetheless it is important to participate in consultations– even if we think they are simply window dressing— if for no other reason than to get our opinion on the record.

Without Proportional Representation, our Representative Democracy isn’t very accountable to us. But maybe they’ll listen.