When It Comes to the Climate Crisis, Are Any of Canada’s Politicians Up to the Task?
Comparing How the 2021 Green, NDP, Liberal, and Conservative Election Platforms Stack Up on Global Warming
Global warming poses an existential threat to humanity. Earth is warming at the fastest rate in over 2,000 years, and atmospheric CO2 concentrations are higher than they’ve been in over 2 million years. Over 97 percent of climate scientists agree that global warming is caused by human activity — particularly the burning of oil, gas, and coal, which leads to permanent global warming.
Wealthy countries, such as Canada, have played an outsized role in causing global warming. Canada’s per capita CO2 emissions are among the highest in the G20, and Canada is the world’s fourth-largest fossil fuel producer. Now, after two years of a Liberal minority government, a Canadian federal election is taking place. It comes on the heels of a record-shattering heatwave and during raging wildfires. Taking on the climate crisis will demand bold action. In this blog, I will compare and contrast the federal parties’ plans for fighting global warming, as well as their dedication to the fossil fuel industry.
I intend to update this essay throughout the election. As of writing, the New Democratic Party and the Conservative Party have released their full platforms, while the Green Party and Liberal Party have not. Therefore, for the Green Party, I will mainly cite “Mission Possible” and their 2019 Platform. For the Liberal Party, I will use “A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy.”
The burning of fossil fuels has been the primary cause of global warming. Indeed, seventy-one percent of greenhouse gas emissions since 1988 can be traced to just one hundred fossil fuel companies. Countries will have to reduce fossil fuel production by six percent annually if global warming is to remain below 1.5 degrees. A good climate plan hinges on a party’s opposition to the fossil fuel industry. The Green Party is opposed to all new oil, gas, coal, and pipeline projects (including the Trans Mountain pipeline), and would ban fracking immediately. They would end bitumen production around 2030 to 2035, and phase out current oil and gas production. The NDP supports new fossil fuel projects, but would strengthen environmental assessments for new coal mines. Coal usage must be eliminated sooner than oil and gas, so it is particularly concerning that the NDP would allow new coal mines. The Liberal Party aims to end coal-fired power by 2030. However, they support new fossil fuel projects, and want Canadian fossil fuels to remain competitive in global markets (this is why they are building the Trans Mountain pipeline). The Conservative Party wants to expand offshore oil production in Newfoundland and New Brunswick, and prioritizes expanding Canada’s oil exports by building pipelines such as the Keystone XL. They want to increase oil tanker traffic on British Columbia’s coast, and are intent on increasing natural gas production. The world is on a dangerous warming path right now, and the planet cannot afford for countries to increase fossil fuel production.
We live on a planet with finite resources — economies cannot sustainably grow to infinity. The Green Party refers to endless economic growth as “out of sync with nature and people.” The NDP, Liberals, and Conservatives are all explicitly in favor of economic growth.
The government supports the fossil fuel industry with $18 billion worth of subsidies annually. The Green Party and NDP both want to eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies. The Liberal Party says they want to end inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. The Conservative Party does not address the topic of subsidies — presumably, they want subsidies to continue unchanged.
Carbon pricing has arisen as one of the most commonly used emissions-reduction tools. It makes polluters pay for their emissions, giving them a financial incentive to switch to clean energy. All four parties support revenue-neutral carbon pricing. The current carbon pricing system, set up by the Liberals, is set at $40 per tonne of carbon, rising to $170 by 2030. Ninety percent of the revenue is returned to consumers as a cash rebate. People who emit less carbon than the national average (eighty percent of Canadians) tend to come out financially ahead under the Liberal Party’s carbon pricing plan. The Conservative Party will maintain industrial carbon prices, but will change the consumer carbon tax to $20 per tonne, eventually topping out at $50. The revenue would not be returned as spendable cash.
Canada must aggressively reduce its emissions by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Climate targets offer a good proxy for ambition. The Green Party wants to reduce GHG emissions by sixty percent by 2030 (from 2005 levels). The NDP wants a fifty percent reduction, and the Liberals want a forty to forty-five percent reduction. The Conservatives want to fulfill Canada’s “Paris climate commitment,” which entails a reduction of thirty percent. The Green Party is the most ambitious, while the Conservative Party refuses to even state their goal as a percentage (opting for a vague reference to the Paris agreement).
The Greens, NDP, and Liberals agree that Canada must reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The Conservative Party does not have a 2050 climate target, and it is apparent that they have no intention of reaching net-zero by 2050. To be meaningful, climate targets must be backed by serious action plans. Furthermore, they must also exist.
Many variables make up a good climate platform — too many to touch upon here. However, a party’s stance on fossil fuel production, economic growth, and climate targets reveals a lot about its concern for the environment — or lack thereof. The Conservative Party has an abysmal plan, intent on increasing fossil fuel production while taking no substantial climate action. The NDP and Liberal Party platforms are better — they set more ambitious goals than the Conservative Party, and are somewhat less intent on funding and expanding the fossil fuel industry. The Green Party offers by far the most aggressive climate plan, with ambitious climate targets and an end to new fossil fuel projects. If you are like me, and believe that ending global warming is crucial to maintaining a hospitable planet, then the Green Party climate plan is for you.
Many important issues are facing Canada today, including our continued response to the pandemic, ending poverty, and achieving social equity. And the country must reckon with its violent mistreatment of First Nations, both past and present. Undoubtedly, Canadians will take these and other issues into account when they head to the polls. I hope that when Canadians vote, we reject harmful policies that exploit the environment, opting instead for a healthy climate and a sustainable future.
