“It will be pretty obvious to the world that really takes climate change seriously and takes half the action,” he added. Canada built on its decision to phase out international coal combustion by 2030 by co-founding the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which pursued effective coal phase-out diplomacy in the years following its inception. Here at home, the decision was paired with the launch of the Just Transition Task Force for Coal Workers and Communities in 2018. As one of the first national just transition organizations of its kind, this group of people has done an incredible job of addressing the needs of communities that would be directly affected by phasing out coal-fired electricity generation. A just transition will be crucial as we continue to transform our economy to build a climate-resilient future and ensure long-term prosperity and jobs. The next necessary step is to talk about a just transition of all fossil fuels. But even this economic pain for Canadians would not help the world meet the official Paris climate goals, because the promises are far from enough. And again, the inadequacy of Paris` global promises is probably a good thing, as flagship models show that the UN`s 2°C ceiling is far too aggressive. Canadians should take a step back and assess the costs and benefits of delivering on our Paris promise before proceeding on this path. Few people deny Trudeau`s commitment to ending climate change. Canada has raised its price on carbon – which provinces must adopt or impose by the federal government – to C$40 per tonne this month and is expected to rise to C$170 by the end of the decade. The government has also advanced clean fuel standards, as well as limiting leakage of methane, a strong gas against climate change and other measures. In the period up to 2020, all levels of government, the private sector, financial institutions and civil society will continue to have the opportunity to showcase and respond to climate change efforts.

Building on the Lima-Paris Programme of Action, there will be a high-level event in conjunction with each meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP). Two high-level champions will be appointed to facilitate and strengthen high-level engagement on behalf of the Police President during this period. Between Trudeau`s election in 2015 and 2019, Canada`s greenhouse gas emissions rose 1 percent, despite falling in other wealthy countries over the same period, according to government data released last week. In fact, Canada is the only Group of 7 country whose emissions have increased since the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement six years ago. In order to build mutual trust and promote effective implementation, the Paris Agreement establishes an enhanced transparency framework. All Parties are required to provide information on greenhouse gas emissions, progress towards their emission targets, adaptation efforts and the provision and receipt of funds. The agreement takes into account the different reporting capacities of the parties by providing flexibility in reporting on climate action. In particular, the information submitted shall be subject to technical review by experts and shall be reviewed by other Parties in a multilateral process. In addition to the 2°C temperature target and efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C, the Paris Agreement also aims to promote climate resilience and the development of greenhouse gases, as well as balance climate fluxes with a path to a low-carbon future. In accordance with Article 4(19) of the Paris Agreement, Canada presented its long-term strategy for the development of low greenhouse gases to the UNFCCC at COP 22 on 19 November 2016. This mid-century climate strategy looks beyond 2030 to start a conversation about how we can reduce emissions for a cleaner, more sustainable future by 2050.

Environment and Climate Change Canada is Canada`s leading government on international and domestic climate change. Canada`s approach to global climate action is strengthening: To combat climate change and its negative impacts, 197 countries adopted the Paris Agreement at COP21 in Paris on December 12, 2015. The agreement, which entered into force less than a year later, aims to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius this century, while looking for ways to further limit the increase to 1.5 degrees. Adapting to the current and future impacts of climate change is recognized as a local, subnational, regional, international and global challenge. The Paris Agreement sets out the global goal of improving adaptive capacity, building resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change in order to contribute to sustainable development and ensure an appropriate adaptation response to the temperature target. Parties are invited to develop and communicate adaptation plans and priorities for inclusion in a public registry. The agreement also recognises the need to strengthen cooperation to address loss and damage related to the adverse effects of climate change by strengthening the existing Warsaw International Mechanism. The measures implemented so far have been unfavourable to a green recovery.

Much of Canada`s more than $200 billion COVID-19 recovery plan is aimed at helping affected individuals and businesses cope with the immediate health and economic impacts of the pandemic. The package provided $2.5 billion to help the oil and gas sector clean up orphan and inactive wells and reduce volatile methane emissions. Depending on the structure of this support, it could undermine the polluter pays principle. C$330 million has also been allocated to the country`s airports. On the positive side, large employers seeking assistance must publish annual climate-related financial reports and describe how they contribute to Canada`s NDC and other Paris commitments. The government has also provided resources to support food redistribution and avoid food waste. We asked Abreu about the three most important steps Canada has taken in recent years to advance climate action, and the three most glaring gaps. .