alberta climate change policy

disrupting energy generation and supply during extreme weather events, increased stress on transmission infrastructure, increasing demand on electrical generation (additional loads created by cooling requirements), heavy precipitation with associated increased risk of flooding, continued mountain pine beetle infestations, grasslands displacing existing forest ecosystems, loss of water stored as ice and snow will affect the timing and level of water flows in major river basins, lower summer stream flows, falling lake levels, and retreating glaciers, net result of less surface water and soil moisture, as well as greater variations in soil moisture from season-to-season and year-to-year. Premier Jason Kenney responds to U.S. President Joe Biden’s move to revoke the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, calling it, "an insult directed at the United States's most important ally and trading partner. The Specified Gas Emitters Regulation in Alberta made it the first jurisdiction in North America to have a price on carbon. Winters are dry, sunny, and cold, though in the south the Chinook winds, which occur when warm, dry air of Pacific origin descends the eastern slopes of the Rockies, can raise temperatures by 40 °F (22 °C) in an hour or less. Now that U.S. President Joe Biden has followed through on his promise to cancel the Keystone XL permit, I have to ask you all a simple question: How is this working?Â. Please read our Commenting Policy first ... As governments and economies across the world wrestle with how to tackle climate change, Alberta’s oil and gas sector is … various ecosystem services and benefits, including clean water, crop pollination and recreational opportunities. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Alberta had a competitive corporate tax rate before the UCP was elected. This value increased substantially starting in 2009. You see this in who the government selects to head its pet projects. Alberta has an established "Climate Change Action Plan", released in 2008. ", Meanwhile, Greenpeace, which has already been publicly excoriated by the Allan inquiry as "a new breed of zealots less interested in saving Planet Earth than in destroying the capitalist system," has yet to be contacted to provide any evidence at all. Alberta - Alberta - Climate: Alberta has a continental climate, with more sunshine than any other Canadian province. But let's reflect on the idea that Trudeau has any special motivation to help Kenney out, here — Kenney, the man who has spent the last three years winning Alberta's heart by drawing blood from Trudeau's.Â, Hey, maybe Kenney could reach out to some international oil and gas players. Jen Gerson is a journalist, political commentator, and co-founder of the online newsletter The Line. It was always doubtful that cutting the rate even more was going to make a difference.Â, Our public finances are in shambles. Methane emissions in Alberta will be reduced by 45% by 2025. Extreme weather events can easily overwhelm the capacity of infrastructure. Boom times and wealth have conditioned Albertans to believe that we matter a lot more than we do. Climate change policy in Alberta by Andrew Read At a glance Alberta’s key climate policy, the Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (SGER), is due for renewal before December 31, 2014. Critics decry reading list issued by Alberta’s energy inquiry commissioner as climate change denial Emma Graney Energy reporter Published January 14, 2021 Updated January 15, 2021 I understand why this province elected the UCP with historic turnout in 2019. You see it in the lack of original thinking; hell, their platform was practically cribbed from the Reform Party. The choices we make every day have an impact on the planet. It included an appeal — just short of a demand — to Justin Trudeau to advocate more fiercely on behalf of the Keystone XL. The remainder comes from heating our homes and businesses, transportation and from agriculture, forestry and municipal waste. Alberta averaged $673 million a year in insured losses from extreme weather events from 2009 to 2012. according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, Alberta has experienced the 2 most costly disasters in the country's history with the Fort McMurray wildfires at $3.58 billion and the 2013 southern Alberta floods at $1.7 billion. One of the first actions taken under this legislation was to develop a mandatory reporting program for large emitters in Alberta. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Reducing the country's emissions requires policies and initiatives that reduce emissions in the province. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. alberta climate change. Gretchen Whitmer — Biden's campaign co-chair — over their attempts to decommission a segment of Enbridge's Line 5. What explains this development and how can we understand and categorize Alberta climate change policies? Buy a timer for it and set it for 2 to 3 hours before you need to start your car. For more information, please see the international Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) website at Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Oh wait, Kenney implied that we should do exactly that on Wednesday, or Alberta would "go further in our fight for a fair deal in the federation."Â. There are plenty of simple lifestyle actions Albertans can take to reduce emissions and play a part in the global fight against climate change. The strategy will be developed with input from Albertans through a separate engagement process that recognizes the unique challenges and opportunities of adaptation. Alberta’s greenhouse gas emissions are expected to peak in the early 2020s. It looks to me like the UCP spun a fantasy in 2019 that it now can't make real.Â, And, yeah, this province has been hard hit by COVID-19, but I thought I was being generous by putting that file to the side for a moment.Â. While this natural greenhouse effect makes life on Earth possible, an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could dramatically change our ecosystem. This is the same obstinate attitude that led to the cringey display Kenney offered us in a press conference earlier this week. He promised to be a premier who would win the province glory, a white knight and returning prodigal son who would finally fight for Alberta. ), It should be noted here that we've spent an estimated $3.5 million on this clown show.Â, Put aside for a moment, dear Conservatives, the question of whether you think anything the inquiry is "investigating" is true. I love Alberta, and I still think we have a lot going for us. Now, the premier’s office and the Alberta Energy Regulator have confirmed to The Narwhal that the narrow definition of this type of mining does not apply to any past, present or proposed coal mines in the province. Some of the key areas where the effects of climate change are expected include: Climate change may lead to negative impacts on agriculture production (crop yields) and financial loss, livestock production and farming infrastructure, from increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events and long-term impacts of climate change. Alberta becomes first jurisdiction in North America to put price on carbon. Reduction programs in other provinces are much less developed. But we're a landlocked jurisdiction of four million on the high plain that happens to enjoy large oil and gas reserves that are costly and emissions-intensive to produce. Climate Change Adaptation - Reduce Calgarians' vulnerability to and prepare for a changing climate. And that inquiry into foreign funding — dogged at the outset with reports that its commissioner, Steve Allan, awarded a sole-source $905,000 contract to the law firm in which his own son was a partner, because, of course — has already devolved into a series of delays and controversies. And these anti-oilsands actors aren't the cause of all of our problems. Install new insulation and energy-efficient windows. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Even the fair deal panel is just a rehash of ideas that were largely rejected as cost-ineffective in 2003.Â, This party acts like it's run by a bunch of jocks in a secret fraternity at a second-rate school who suddenly realize that nobody who matters knows their names. Running an old gas lawn mower for an hour can create as much pollution as driving your car 500 kilometres. We're the guy who gets drunk and picks a fight but can't actually land a punch.Â, I don't mean to be too mordant about all of this. A tax hike is inevitable.Â, Kenney did kill Notley's carbon tax — and then replaced it with another, less effective one. I've been trying to come up with one single solitary win since that election, and I can't find it. Ironically, many of those campaigns began to abate in 2015 when Notley introduced an aggressive carbon tax policy that demonstrated Alberta was taking climate change seriously.Â. Whoops.Â, Almost two years into this mandate, I have to ask: How has it been going? Idling for longer than 10 seconds during cold weather isn’t necessary, and wastes gas and money. He promised "war rooms" and inquiries that would finally unearth Alberta's nefarious enemies.Â, Somehow, this was all going to work wonders for pipeline capacity — which is why it made sense to invest $1.5 billion in taxpayer money in Keystone XL. Alberta’s current approach Albertan climate change policy After years of resistance, the government of Alberta has adopted in 2002, after consultation with the public and various stakeholders, a strategy proposing measures, including legislation, to address the climate change issue, and more precisely, to cut GHG emissions and adapt to the consequences of climate changes (Alberta Environment, 2002: 2-4). In other words: we don't matter to these people. Shorten your showers to less than 5 minutes. — Tom Vernon (@TomVernonGlobal) November 22, 2015 Turn off the lights when you leave a room, or if you don’t require lighting. Yet the study of provincial climate change policy in Canada has largely focused on lower-emitting provinces like British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario. The 2019 campaign promised tax cuts that would bring the jobs back; fiscal discipline; fair deal panels that would put Ottawa in its place and highlight this province's growing, muscular sense of its own independence. This column is an opinion. ", CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Get the head of Royal Dutch Shell on the line. between 1983 and 2008, Alberta averaged around $100 million a year in catastrophic losses due to extreme events (hailstorms, wildfire, flooding, etc.). Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Or 1973.Â. Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage announced an “outright ban” on mountaintop-removal coal mining in early February. How the causes and impacts of climate change could affect Alberta's environment, health and economy. And, yes, that includes relationships with people who disagree with us: Ottawa, environmentalists and NGOs.Â, So, hey, all you Free Alberta types, here's some good news for you: Kenney is teaching us all what it really means to stand alone.Â. They're kings of the small campus.Â, Oil means nothing if nobody buys it. However, the Liberal government that later signed the accord took little action towards meeting Canada's greenhouse gas emission targets. For more information about our commentary section, please read our FAQ. We're good people, we work hard, and we pull together in a crisis. Alberta is responsible for over a third of Canada's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. The very ones led by the CEOs he denounced for supporting the carbon tax in 2019. Choose a more fuel efficient vehicle if you drive. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). 97% of climate scientists now agree that human activity is responsible for most temperature increases over the past 250 years. Meanwhile, this province's court challenge of the federal carbon tax is unlikely to hold up.Â, Kenney's "war room" is an international joke led by a PC-party loyalist who didn't get elected in 2019.Â. WATCH | Alberta Premier Jason Kenney reacts to Keystone decision: The jobs haven't come back. Proclaim tariffs and boycotts that will hurt us more than it will hurt the U.S.? Discover some of the things you can do to curb your energy consumption, lower your emissions and save money. Canada is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. Walk, bike or take public transit. the current level, mix and geographic distribution of biodiversity, such as Alberta’s native species and ecosystems. Upgrade to a programmable thermostat or simply set your home’s temperature to 16 Celsius when you leave the house or go to bed. Further, global concern about climate change means more banks and major companies are disinvesting in a jurisdiction that goes full ride-or-die on coal and petroleum extraction. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Methane emissions in Alberta will be reduced by 45% by 2025. (In fact, Greenpeace has already issued a legal warning to the inquiry. Is this working?Â, From the cheap seats, things don't look great. By the feds' own account, Trudeau has attempted to make the case for Keystone XL, and even brought it up in his first phone call with Biden, to the prime minister's credit. I get the appeal of that campaign, the lure of nostalgia that it evoked. For these reasons, climate change is a core issue for HSAA/NUPGE.” — Mike Parker, HSAA President. Choose a push mower. This backgrounder provides a summary of how SGER has functioned to date and provides recommendations to improve the current approach. Climate change could affect energy supplies by: Certain types of extreme weather events may increase in frequency and/or intensity: Warmer temperatures and reduced soil moisture create conditions for: Infrastructure (such as buildings, roads, bridges, pipelines and electricity transmission) is generally sensitive to gradual changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. Money gave this province delusions of self-importance that is reflected in a premier whose bombastic bar-brawl banter is increasingly revealed as short-man bluster. It was a tempting fantasy, one in which Rachel Notley allied with Justin Trudeau, and Alberta's noble oil industry was beleaguered by a gaggle of environmentalists and socialists, who were conspiring to bring the province down.Â, I also understand why so many bought into the claim that by electing a conservative government, we could just make all of these problems go away; that Alberta would return to the glory days of 2014, or 2005, or 1994. Ironically, many of those campaigns began to abate in 2015 when Notley introduced an aggressive carbon tax policy that demonstrated Alberta … The Earth’s climate is affected by these human and natural factors that are external to the climate system: Each of these compounds has an important affect on the earth’s temperature by trapping heat in the atmosphere and causing global temperatures to increase. Alberta climate change policy videos and latest news articles; GlobalNews.ca your source for the latest news on Alberta climate change policy . Humans have substantially increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, including: The biggest concern is the speed at which growth of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere is occurring. That's not in dispute. Kenney noted that those fighting to cut off Alberta's oil and gas exports were "brain dead. Consider occupancy sensors that turn on and off automatically. In 2003 Alberta signaled its commitment to manage greenhouse gas emissions by passing the Climate Change and Emissions Management Act. Edmonton (22 Sept. 2017) — While opposition politicians staged a theatrical event to demonize Alberta’s climate change plan, a leading environmental group and a public sector union are teaming up to explain the plan’s real benefits. See the full Climate Resiliency Strategy. The Calgary’s Climate Resilience Strategy outlines the action plans to: Climate Change Mitigation - Manage Calgary's energy use and help limit global climate change. Tires that are underinflated by 2 pounds per square inch can cause a 4% increase in fuel consumption. Alberta climate-change policy is 'strong leadership,' says Cenovus CEO. Is anyone under the impression that a report informed by Cooper and the climate change denial group Friends of Science is going to turn the tide for Alberta? It briefly discusses the causes of climate change and the methodology for the detection and causal attribution of long-term trends and changes in the frequency or intensity of extreme events. Less travel distance means lower emissions. Soon after the 2006 federal election, the new minority government of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harperanno… The only lever we have — the only real lever we've ever had — is vested in the relationships we maintain with the nations, provinces, interests and people around us. Instead, ask yourselves this question: whom is this inquiry going to convince?Â. The trajectory of policy development in Alberta over time suggests a movement towards policies with an increasing impact on GHG emissions through greater ambition, scope and, in the case of carbon pricing, coerciveness. You see it in the habit of tripling down on ideologically derived solutions to complicated problems. We don't matter to Joe Biden, who would happily torch our entire provincial economy if it bought him two weeks of peace from his own restive left flank. Alberta climate change plan to introduce economy wide $30 carbon levy by 2018, phase out coal power by 2030, put cap on oilsands emissions. The latest, that the inquiry spent $100,000 to commission reports from several external groups, including a U.S. firm called Energy in Depth, which is affiliated with the Independent Petroleum Association of America, and a paper from Calgary-based political scientist Barry Cooper, whose contribution was entitled: "Background Report on Changes in the Organization and Ideology of Philanthropic Foundations with a Focus on Environmental Issues as Reflected in Contemporary Social Science Research. Comments are welcome while open. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Climate change brings with it both great challenges and unique opportunities. The climate is changing and globally we are experiencing impacts, such as: 1. increasing temperatures 2. rising ocean levels 3. more frequent droughts, floods and forest firesMore extreme weather is creating greater challenges. Over half the emissions in Alberta are the result of industrial, manufacturing and construction activity, as well as from producing the electricity we consume in our homes, communities and businesses. Although Canada committed itself to a 6% reduction below the 1990 levels for the 2008–2012 as a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, the country did not implement a plan to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions. Climate change will likely result in long-term changes in temperature and precipitation, as well as increased frequency and severity of weather events such as droughts, floods, forest fires, and severe storms. A week after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, the provincial government in Alberta, home to Canada’s oil industry, published a series of reports laced with climate change … Reports commissioned by an inquiry looking into how critics of Alberta's oil sector are funded are by and large "textbook examples of climate change denialism," says one academic. Mandatory measures are in effect provincewide. Renewable Fuels Standard Alberta’s Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) requires commercial fuel producers and importers to blend renewable products into their fuels. The climate is changing and globally we are experiencing impacts, such as: More extreme weather is creating greater challenges. And what's Canada going to do about it, exactly? National and Provincial/Territorial Greenhouse Gas Emission Tablesshow that in the transportation sector, nearly 90% of all Alberta GHG emissions come from the movement of freight (heavy-duty trucks and rail) and people (cars, trucks and motorcycles). Alberta's climate change strategy includes a tax on carbon, a cap on oilsands emissions, a phasing out of coal-fired electricity and an emphasis on wind power. In 2013, Alberta’s provincial emissions totaled 267 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. Climate change legislation Climate change acts and regulations including renewable standards and specified reporting. As Albertans continue to wrap their minds around the provincial government's major shift in climate-change policy… The price of oil is down everywhere, and we're now producing a commodity that is extracted in abundance within the United States thanks to the fracking boom. EDMONTON — Alberta took what it hopes will be the first step toward shedding its status as international environmental pariah Sunday by revealing a sweeping climate change … For the record, I think Alberta has been treated unfairly and hypocritically; we clearly have been the target of international and national campaigns to obstruct oilsands development. This column is an opinion from journalist and political commentator Jen Gerson. Sector-specific Industrial Energy Efficiency Grant Program The SIEE Grant Program offers support funding for energy efficiency projects in Alberta’s emissions-intensive and trade-exposed facilities. What's the theory, here? We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Moving forward with policies necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the worst impacts of climate change will require Canada and the … Recent trends and future projections for water resources include: The costs of adapting today result in avoidance of damages – and therefore avoided costs. The report summarizes observed climatic changes across Canada and Alberta. Mandatory measures are in effect provincewide, Oil sands (mining, in situ and upgrading), more frequent droughts, floods and forest fires, Natural activity, such as volcanic activity, Depleting ozone layer through use of chemicals like Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Increases in concentrations of greenhouse gases, primarily from burning fossil fuels, which trap heat within our atmosphere, Using forests and wetlands for agricultural, residential and industrial uses.