OTTAWA – On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, the Green Party of Canada is setting out the essential elements of a Green Recovery plan for Canada.
“We cannot afford to forget the other emergency – the climate crisis – because it has not forgotten us", said Annamie Paul, Leader of the Green Party of Canada. "There are dire weekly updates from scientists on the accelerating pace of global warming, and the need for urgent action cannot be overstated. As of today, there is still no clear plan to move Canada to net-zero emissions within the timeframe specified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for keeping the global average temperature increase below 1.5 C.
“To have any hope of holding to 1.5 C we need to see a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the next decade. On that count, accountability is the key ingredient missing in the climate accountability legislation. We must have stringent five-year emissions reduction targets starting in 2025 with a real plan for meeting them.
“President-elect Biden recently appointed John Kerry as a special climate envoy. Where is our dedicated climate czar? COVID-19 demonstrated the importance of guidance from a panel of medical experts. Now is the time that we should be establishing a committed panel of climate scientists to guide us.”
The Green Party’s Green economic recovery plan calls for a 60 per cent reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 with clear enforceable targets and timelines, starting in 2025. Priority actions include:
- A detailed Carbon Budget setting out GHG emissions allowed to keep within the 1.5 degrees C threshold
- A Carbon Border Adjustment – a tariff on imports from jurisdictions with weak climate policies
- Investments in renewable energy and cleantech
- Deep energy retrofits of building
- Annual increases in the carbon tax
- A national electricity corridor allowing 100 per cent renewable energy to flow across provincial and territorial borders.
“A Green Recovery is the chance of a lifetime. At this liminal moment in history, we can draft a plan that will help repair the economic damage caused by the pandemic and reduce our GHG emissions while providing Canadians with the jobs of the future,” said Ms. Paul. “Will Canada once again take its place as a global leader on climate? Will we join the U.K., the E.U. and New Zealand who have already put robust green recovery plans in place? We cannot afford not to.”
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For more information or to arrange an interview:
Rosie Emery
Press Secretary
613-562-4916x206