A Framework for Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plans

Source: · CANADIAN CLIMATE INSTITUTE · | March 1, 2022

SETTING CANADA UP FOR SUCCESS

Source: Canadian Climate Institute

Canada is at a climate governance inflection point. To confront the threat of a warming and increasingly volatile climate, the federal government has committed to reducing greenhouse gas pollution by 40 to 45 per cent by 2030 on the path to net zero emissions by 2050.

To reach its 2030 and 2050 climate goals, Canada must now shift toward the implementation of ambitious climate policy that builds on the established framework.

The first Emissions Reduction Plan that will be published in March 2022 is an important first requirement of the Emissions Accountability Act. It must establish an emissions reduction objective for 2026, aligned with the 2030 milestone, and, crucially, it must be both credible and adaptive to ensure Canada can develop and implement a policy package to reach those targets.

Our report proposes a framework for an effective Emissions Reduction Plan that draws on the Emissions Accountability Act, international best practices in stocktaking, policy expertise from the Institute’s Expert Panels, and the Institute’s experience in independent policy assessment.