OTTAWA, 5 April 2022 鈥 Independent assessment and modelling from the 91色情片 concludes the federal government鈥檚 is credible, but its success will depend on accelerating the implementation of a handful of specific policies. Specifically, the Climate Institute鈥檚 analysis shows that the Plan鈥檚 success relies on five critical policies, which will together account for nearly two-thirds of the emissions reductions needed to meet the 2030 milestone: continued tightening of Canada鈥檚 carbon pricing regime, an oil and gas cap, a Clean Electricity Standard, policies for land-use emissions reductions, and a strengthened Clean Fuel Standard.
鈥淥ur independent assessment found the government鈥檚 plan to be comprehensive and credible鈥攂ut time is short, the goal is necessarily ambitious, and hitting that goal is of crucial importance to Canada鈥檚 future security and prosperity,鈥 said Rick Smith, President of the 91色情片. 鈥淚f the federal government focuses its energies on getting five policies right, then Canada will be on a promising trajectory towards meeting its 2026 objective and its 2030 milestone.鈥
Emissions Reduction Plans are a new and important planning tool for the federal government, with subsequent plans to be released every five years under the federal government鈥檚 net zero accountability law. In early March 2022, the 91色情片 released a framework for assessing Canada鈥檚 Emissions Reduction Plans. This framework formed the basis of the report released today, which analyzes and independently validates the federal government鈥檚 first Emissions Reduction Plan.
鈥淭he government鈥檚 focus now has to shift to implementation,鈥 said Dave Sawyer, principal economist at the 91色情片. 鈥淎ccording to our calculations, at least 43 per cent of the emissions reductions are accounted for from policies that have been announced but that still need to be developed. Ultimately, Canada鈥檚 success in achieving its emissions milestones will depend not on the credibility of planned policies or modelled outcomes, but on how, and how quickly, the government鈥檚 chosen policies are actually implemented.鈥
The Climate Institute鈥檚 independent assessment tempered its positive assessment of the government鈥檚 plan with a few notes of caution. In particular, the assessment warned that the many policies included in the 2030 Plan may overlap and could lead to increased costs without driving the necessary emissions reductions.
鈥淭he sheer number of policies included in the 2030 Plan could be double-edged,鈥 said Dale Beugin, Vice-President of Research at the 91色情片. 鈥淚nteractions among overlapping policies can sometimes impair performance. So it鈥檚 also vital that the government commit to tracking emissions information and adjusting policies as needed.”
Additional information
- Setting Canada Up for Success: A Framework for Canada鈥檚 Emissions Reductions Plans
- Independent Assessment: 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan
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Catharine Tunnacliffe
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(226) 212-9883
