Year in review: Canada's climate plan delivering results

OTTAWA, Dec. 20, 2018 /CNW/ - Climate change is real. People are living the costs of climate change first hand, from wildfires in the west to floods in the east, smoke that makes the air unsafe to breathe and heatwaves that endanger the young and the elderly. Last week, the world came together at COP24 to tackle this global problem and ensure people have a better, stronger and healthier future.

Canada's climate plan is working for our planet, and it's working for Canadians. Governments in Canada are putting in place measures to cut pollution causing climate change, while creating good jobs and growing the economy. In the past year, we have continued our work with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, cities, businesses, schools, hospitals and Canadians across the country and, together, we have accomplished a lot.

Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, provided a year-end update on this progress made across Canada, available in the Clean Canada report.

The federal government is working with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, cities and towns, along with businesses across Canada to fight climate change and set us on the path to a better future for our kids and grandkids. This collective effort shows that people across the country are coming together, rolling up their sleeves and finding new ways to improve our health, our environment and our economy.

We want Canada to lead in the clean economy of the future. That's why we are ensuring it will no longer be free to pollute anywhere in Canada and taking steps to:

• phase out coal;
• invest in renewables to get to 90% clean electricity;
• make historic investments in public transit;
• support clean Canadian innovations;
• work toward a zero plastic waste strategy; and
• double the amount of nature protected across the country.

These measures are cutting carbon pollution, while helping people save money through energy efficient projects, greater access to clean technologies and the Climate Action Incentive, which families will receive starting in 2019 in jurisdictions that have the federal price on pollution.

Clean Canada comes on the heels of the international climate meetings in Poland, which resulted in almost 200 countries, including Canada, reinforcing their commitment to work together to reduce carbon pollution, report in a transparent way and to tap in to the $26?trillion global opportunity of clean growth.

The government also announced this year's edition of Canada's transparent annual emissions reporting, and an update on measures taken by federal, provincial and territorial governments under Canada's climate plan. To move forward on ensuring it is no longer free to pollute in Canada for heavy emitters, and to ensure cleaner fuels in our cars, boats and planes, the federal government announced proposed regulations for the Output-Based Pricing System and a regulatory framework under the Clean Fuel Standard. 

Canada's climate plan is working. We are on pace to achieve the biggest reduction of carbon pollution in Canada's history, at the same time as we are creating jobs, protecting our health and building a better future for our kids and grandkids.

Quotes

"Since day one, we have been working with provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, cities, businesses and Canadians across the country to protect the environment and grow the economy. We are working every day to deliver a climate action plan that is protecting more of our nature, driving down emissions, investing in clean technology and creating good jobs. We know we need to do more to keep moving forward?finding better and cleaner ways of doing things?so that we can ensure a sustainable future and a strong economy for our kids."
? Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick facts

• Canada has a climate plan that includes joint and individual actions by federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Before that plan came into effect, emissions were going up. Now, they are going down. Policies under Canada's climate plan have led to the greatest drop in forecasted emissions since national reporting began.
• Canada's climate plan includes a price on carbon pollution across Canada and over 50 other measures to achieve reductions across all sectors of the economy, increase resilience to the consequences of climate change, and support jobs and clean growth.

Related products

• Clean Fuel Standard
• Canada's Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollutant Emissions Projections Report ? 2018
• Pricing pollution for large industry

Associated links

• Clean Canada
• Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change Second Annual Synthesis Report on the Status of Implementation ? December 2018
• Clean Fuel Standard regulatory design: summary
• Greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions projections: 2018
• Proposal for the Output-Based Pricing System Regulations

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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada