With Alberta’s government poised to announce a new climate change plan, the Pembina Institute today released a checklist of actions that the government’s plan must contain to be considered credible.
“The Government of Alberta likes to talk about being a leader on climate change, but so far it just hasn’t delivered,” said Marlo Raynolds, Executive Director of the Pembina Institute. “This new plan is a golden opportunity for Alberta’s government to make a fresh start and truly become a leader in protecting the climate.”
Environment Minister Rob Renner has been mandated by the Premier to produce a successor to Alberta’s 2002 climate change plan. The new plan is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
In public consultations on the plan held in 2007, Albertans overwhelmingly called for stronger government action to fight global warming, including absolute emission targets, stronger regulatory action, and the use of financial incentives and penalties.
The Pembina Institute will use three key questions to assess Alberta’s climate plan:
- Does it include adequate emission reduction measures for all the main sources of greenhouse gas pollution in Alberta?
- How does Alberta’s plan compare to the emission reduction activities and targets in peer provinces such as British Columbia, Ontario and Québec?
- Does the plan lay out its expectations and assumptions for emission reductions in a transparent way, and does it ensure clear accountability for the delivery of those reductions?
“At a time when climate scientists are calling for deep cuts in our emissions, Alberta’s government has allowed greenhouse gas pollution to increase dramatically,” said Dan Woynillowicz, Senior Policy Analyst. “This province has the capacity and the ingenuity to make a major contribution to the fight against climate change. That’s what Albertans are calling for, and that’s what this plan must deliver.”
Alberta is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gas pollution in Canada, producing close to one-third of Canada’s total emissions.
The province’s 2002 global warming plan, Albertans & Climate Change: Taking Action, set a target of a 50% reduction in Alberta’s emissions “intensity” (emissions per dollar of GDP) by 2020. This target would allow the province’s actual emissions to rise to 72% above the 1990 level if Alberta’s GDP continues grows between 2005–2020 at the same rate that it did between 1990 and 2005.
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Pembina’s backgrounder entitled A Checklist for Alberta’s Climate Change Plan: What to Look for in a Comprehensive Action Plan for Alberta to Fight Global Warming
is available at here.
For more information, contact:
Marlo Raynolds
Cell: 403-607-9427
Dan Woynillowicz
Cell: 403-888-6272