The United Nations Climate Change conference, or "COP11" takes place in Montreal from November 28 to Dec 9. The conference is a significant opportunity for Canada because we will hold the presidency of negotiations for a year. Canada's role in the long-term global effort to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and our progress in meeting our Kyoto commitments will be in the spotlight.

The Pembina Institute and many other non-governmental organizations are calling on Canada to use this opportunity to take a leading role in adopting a strategy for long-term GHG reductions sufficient to reduce dangerous climate change.

The Pembina Institute is holding several events that relate to climate change at COP11. These include our work on the Clean Development Mechanism, a tool that helps industrialized countries contribute to projects that reduce GHGs in developing countries and result in sustainable development. We are also helping organize a conference to draft recommendations for moving forward the global transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency. We will be presenting our recent work on oil sands mining and its environmental impacts, which include major GHG emissions. Finally, we will be hosting a workshop that will give Canada's youth the tools they need to engage in the upcoming UN convention on climate change.

Event details....

Six months after releasing its plan to honour Canada's Kyoto commitment, the federal government urgently needs to implement four key actions to demonstrate Canada is on track to meet its international obligation to cut GHG emissions, according to the Pembina Institute. The federal Kyoto plan was released on April 13, 2005.

Read the release.

The Ontario government announced yesterday that it had entered into a $4.3 billion agreement to rebuild reactors at the Bruce Nuclear Station on Lake Huron. The Pembina Institute responded to this announcement by issuing a news release reminding residents and decision makers that Ontario has faster, more reliable and more cost-effective options for meeting its energy needs than attempting to rebuild more aging nuclear reactors at the cost of billions of dollars. These options are outlined in Power for the Future: Towards a Sustainable Electricity System for Ontario.

Read the release
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Environmental groups from across Canada, including the Pembina Institute, have formed the Canadian Renewable Energy Alliance (CanREA). CanREA celebrates the launch of its website www.canrea.ca.

CanREA envisions a world in which energy needs are minimized through energy conservation and energy efficiency, and in which low-impact renewable energy is consistently the first choice to meet energy needs.

CanREA is urging governments to collaborate provincially to adopt a national renewable energy strategy.

Visit CanREA

The City of Dawson Creek received an honourable mention at the 2005 Energy Aware awards ceremony held last month in BC for the ongoing development of its energy plan. The City is striving to become "the alternative energy capital of BC."

The City is installing a solar hot water system, retrofitting existing buildings for energy conservation and developing a vehicle purchasing policy.

For more information on energy planning contact:
Matt Horne, Community Project Analyst: 604.874.8558
Jesse Row, Director, Sustainable Communities Group: 403.269.3344 Ext. 110

This paper, which was released in October, assesses the financial liability that could accrue to the owners or operators of industrial facilities in Canada because of the future regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. The paper has been prepared to help stakeholders effectively raise the issue of financial liability for emissions in regulatory approval processes.

Download the report