Stand.earth reacts to Canada climate change emissions target

Today’s announcement is the welcomed result of the many citizens and organizers who continue to hold the federal government accountable and demand increased climate ambition. Still, the Canadian federal government falls well short behind EU and US climate targets. 

Unceded Coast Salish Territories (VANCOUVER, BC) — Canada’s federal government announced today that it will commit to a 40-45 per cent emission reduction from 2005 emission levels by 2030.

Today’s announcement is the welcomed result of the many citizens and organizers who continue to hold the federal government accountable and demand increased climate ambition. Still, the federal government falls well short behind EU and US climate targets. 

“It’s great to see Canada finally increasing our climate targets” said Tzeporah Berman, International Program Director for Stand.earth. “But the fact remains that emissions have not been going down primarily due to the expansion of oil and gas and we need a plan to manage that now.  Our slow and painful progress on climate is because our governments are still hostage to big oil, and we need to break free from that and build the cleaner, stronger and safer economy that Canadians clearly want. It’s time for this government to realize that we need a plan to wind down the oil and gas industry.”  

Meanwhile, Ottawa continues to subsidize fossil fuel projects like the Trans Mountain pipeline to the tune of billions of taxpayer dollars. Under Justin Trudeau’s government current policies—who continues to position himself as a climate leader on the world stage—Canada’s oil and gas production is expected to continue to increase, climbing 17 per cent in oil and 45 per cent in gas by 2030 from a 2019 baseline. Fossil fuel subsidies have also continued to increase, rising by $1.9 billion in 2020. This makes it impossible for Canada to meet its climate targets. Canada still has no clear plan to phase out oil and gas. 

“If Trudeau’s government is serious about fighting climate change, his administration needs to stand up to big oil, starting with the cancelation of the Trans Mountain Pipeline, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and bringing in strong regulations to limit climate pollution,”  said Sven Biggs, Canadian Oil and Gas Program Director.   

If Trudeau truly intends on being a world leader on climate alongside the US and Europe, Canada’s federal government needs to prove that it’s serious about limiting the growth of the oil industry.

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Media contacts: 

Ziona Eyob, Canadian Communications Manager, canmedia@stand.earth, +1 604 757 7279 (Pacific Time)