Canada could still reach net zero emissions by 2050, Commissioner says

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - It has been more than a month since the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, presented a series of devastating reports about Canada’s inept performance in addressing the climate crisis to the House of Commons.

Jerry DeMarco said. “there is a need for the federal government to achieve real outcomes on environmental protection and sustainable development—not just words on paper or unfulfilled promises. All too often, Canada’s environmental commitments are not met with the actions needed to protect air, land, water and wildlife, now and for future generations. And that is a trend we urgently need to reverse,” said Jerry DeMarco. “We've had nine plans over the last 31 years, from 1990 to now, and none of them have achieved their objectives.”

Meanwhile Canada’s emissions have risen 20-21%.

While he believes there is still time to reach net zero emissions by 2050, DeMarco pointed out that the longer Canada waits the more difficult this will be.

DeMarco singled out to projects as examples of the government working at cross purposes with itself.

“A common denominator between both the TMX expansion and the emissions reduction fund is that they were hastily produced decisions. And it's not unusual for governments to focus on short term expediency at the expense of long-term gains and these are examples of that. The government states to the international community and in binding treaties, like the UN convention on climate change that is going to do its part to prevent catastrophic climate change, but then short term expediency can essentially trump that and what ends up happening is you have increased emissions because countless short-term expedient decisions add up in a way that undermine the longterm goal.”

He compared reducing Canada’s emissions to pushing a large rock up a difficult hill. At the moment Canada is dispatching one team to push up the hill and other teams to push it back down.

It has been more than a month since the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, presented a series of devastating reports about Canada’s inept performance in addressing the climate crisis to the House of Commons.

Jerry DeMarco said. “there is a need for the federal government to achieve real outcomes on environmental protection and sustainable development—not just words on paper or unfulfilled promises. All too often, Canada’s environmental commitments are not met with the actions needed to protect air, land, water and wildlife, now and for future generations. And that is a trend we urgently need to reverse,” said Jerry DeMarco. “We've had nine plans over the last 31 years, from 1990 to now, and none of them have achieved their objectives.”

Meanwhile Canada’s emissions have risen 20-21%.

While he believes there is still time to reach net zero emissions by 2050, DeMarco pointed out that the longer Canada waits the more difficult this will be.

DeMarco singled out to projects as examples of the government working at cross purposes with itself.

“A common denominator between both the TMX expansion and the emissions reduction fund is that they were hastily produced decisions. And it's not unusual for governments to focus on short term expediency at the expense of long-term gains and these are examples of that. The government states to the international community and in binding treaties, like the UN convention on climate change that is going to do its part to prevent catastrophic climate change, but then short term expediency can essentially trump that and what ends up happening is you have increased emissions because countless short-term expedient decisions add up in a way that undermine the longterm goal.”

He compared reducing Canada’s emissions to pushing a large rock up a difficult hill. At the moment Canada is dispatching one team to push up the hill and other teams to push it back down.