Canada has an ambitious plan to reduce the economy's net emissions to zero by 2050. This will require a step change in mitigation action, with deep energy savings and near economy-wide replacement of fossil fuels with clean energy. Achieving this while minimising negative impacts on activity and living standards will be challenging. Canada is already using a range of policy instruments to propel its green transition - including carbon pricing, regulations, investment incentives, and public procurement of green technology. This Paper explores reforms that could make climate policies work better together to lock in both deep emissions reductions and strong economic growth. As with important efforts to prepare communities for the impacts of climate change, Canada's provinces and territories will play a key role in the country's green transition.

Canadians have been coming to a greater understanding of the threat posed by global warming and the need for urgent action by governments, industry and the public at large. The Trudeau government has, more or less, taken up the cause. Provinces are recognizing the need for action, even as they fight over what that should be. Some multinational corporations are suddenly promoting themselves as environmental stewards. Concerned citizens are looking for ways to effectively reduce their carbon footprint. Yet progress has been slow and limited. In this book, long-time social and environmental activist Tony Clarke provides the hard-to-find information and analysis about what Canada is and is not doing right now to get to zero. He documents the key initiatives that are moving Canada towards a lower-carbon future. But he also spells out how contradictory government decisions and policies are enabling a business-as-usual approach by the oil and gas industry. In doing so, he examines how the Trudeau government promotes measures to reduce greenhouse gases — but then also promotes pipelines that permit further expansion of Alberta's oil sands and new liquidied natural gas plants with enormous greenhouse gas outputs. As a participant in events surrounding the 2016 Paris climate summit and as a critic of Alberta's heedless oil sands expansion in his book Tar Sands Showdown, Tony Clarke combines a deep understanding of environmental issues with knowledge of how Canada's economic and political systems operate. He identifies many positive initiatives organized by various civil society groups taking us on the path to zero emissions. For him, effective citizen engagement and action are key to the serious changes needed to get Canada to zero.

Climate change is the challenge of our generation. And the transition to a low-carbon economy is also one of our greatest opportunities. Bold and ambitious action is needed to address the scale of climate change. Countries around the world are making strong commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the coming decades, with many, including Canada, committing to net-zero emissions by 2050. Taking climate change action now will not only put us on a path to meeting the temperature goals of the Paris agreement by achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 but will also make our economy stronger andmore competitive. This is the chance to transform our economy to take advantage of new markets, new supply chains and new opportunities for economic growth and job creation. To seize these opportunities, we need to build on the agility and resilience of Canada's workforce so that it is equipped with the range of skills required to deliver on this ambition. Canadians want secure, well-paid jobs and careers that will carry them through from tomorrow to 2030, 2040 and beyond. The transition to a cleaner future will bring new, dynamic opportunities across our labour force but also some challenges for those that will need to pivot to new jobs. The Government of Canada also recognizes that the transition will have varying impacts across the country, between regions, sectors and demographics. Consequently, the government is taking action to consult early on, and often, with Canadians to ensure that workers and communities can succeed and thrive in the low-carbon economy. Canada can meet this challenge -- Canadian workers and businesses have the expertise, determination and ingenuity needed to be world leaders in the global clean economy. The Government of Canada will partner with workers, communities, provinces and territories, Indigenous Peoples, businesses and stakeholders to create conditions for success. Canadians expect the government to take steps to make the low-carbon transition just and equitable and to ensure that people are the focus of these efforts. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the future and livelihood of workers and their communities as the world moves toward a low-carbon future. This is why we are committed to developing legislation that could:  Include people-centred just transition principles that put workers and communities at thecentre of the government's policy and decision-making processes on climate change action. Establish an external Just Transition Advisory Body to provide the government with advice onregional and sectoral just transition strategies that support workers and communities. The purpose of this discussion paper is to seek feedback on the proposed just transition legislation.

An investigation into the scale and costs of transitioning our energy systems to achieve net-zero emissions. Canada and the rest of the developed world have committed to decarbonizing basic energy systems, but do this country’s citizens and governments truly understand the sacrifices ahead and are we willing to accept those sacrifices in the name of reducing the impact of climate change? Will the rest of the developed world take on the necessary costs, and will Canada forge ahead with decarbonization, even if other countries do not? Carbon Change explores this most visceral of public policy choices for Canada, with a deep dive into recent North American energy and climate policy, the enduring impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and political processes across the developed world with respect to dealing with climate change risks. It offers a dispassionate analysis of the scale and cost of trying to realize the aspiration of decarbonization. Dennis McConaghy asks if a more balanced and nuanced approach is possible to mitigate the effects of climate change, while still optimally using hydrocarbons to maximize global human welfare.

Pandemics, massive earthquakes, war, and other catastrophes inspire immediate action because their casualties and destruction are immediately visible. Climate change is an unyielding problem because its long-range dangers are hidden, and thus it is a global risk unlike anything in human experience. The federal government recently announced aggressive climate targets for Canada. We have committed to producing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which will require major changes for our economy and way of life. Canadian citizens need to understand why our most distinguished climate scientists and our senior political leaders think that we must meet this target. Canada and Climate Change explains the importance of policies that will ensure we meet the net-zero emissions target. William Leiss provides a firm grasp on what climate change is and how scientists have described shifts in the earth’s climate as they have occurred over hundreds of millions of years and as they are likely to occur in the near future, especially by the end of this century. Leiss argues that citizens have a right to place their trust in what climate scientists tell us. Canada and Climate Change is an essential primer on where we stand on the issue of climate change in Canada and what will unfold in the years ahead.

"In the coming years, Canada's economy and energy systems will undergo a transformation as the country pursues a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. In this context, during 10 meetings between 4 April 2022 and 22 September 2022, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources (the Committee) studied the measures needed to transition Canada's energy system towards a fair and equitable net-zero future"--Introduction, page 7.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide to certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market, he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions, where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively, where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete, practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions—suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers, and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise. As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but if we follow the plan he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach.