While the national renewable fuel standard announced May 23 by the federal government will produce a very limited reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, it's a long way from the comprehensive climate change plan that Canada urgently needs.
"Let's put the federal government's announcement in context," said Marlo Raynolds, Executive Director of the Pembina Institute. "This measure only deals with 1% of Canada's emissions, and many provinces were already committed to renewable fuels. So this is a drop in the bucket in terms of progress in cutting emissions."
"Canadians expect real action and a real plan that addresses the other 99% of emissions," added Dr. Raynolds. "For instance, there's an urgent need for regulated targets for the 50% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions that come from heavy industry."
In a letter to Prime Minister Harper sent last week, the Pembina Institute outlined the components of an effective renewable fuels strategy. A key part of any credible strategy is the use of "lignocellulosic" ethanol produced from wood or waste organic material like straw. Lignocellulosic ethanol creates far fewer greenhouse gases than does corn ethanol because it requires far less fossil fuel energy in its production. A failure to give priority to lignocellulosic ethanol would considerably reduce the greenhouse gas benefits of the renewable fuel strategy. But the government has not yet provided any clarity on this point.
"The net environmental benefit of ethanol depends entirely on how the ethanol is produced," said Dr. Raynolds. "Using corn-based ethanol fuel provides only a tiny greenhouse gas benefit - a reduction in Canada's emissions by a fraction of 1%."
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For more information, contact:
Marlo Raynolds
Executive Director
Cell: 403.607.9427
marlor@pembina.org