Government of Canada launches public engagement on the 2035 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target

GATINEAU, QC, Feb. 2, 2024 /CNW/ – To create a future with a clean, healthy environment and a strong economy for people living in Canada, the Government of Canada is working with Canadians to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. Everyone’s contributions are essential to reach Canada’s long-term target of net-zero emissions by 2050, a goal shared by more and more provinces, territories, businesses, and more. 

Today, Environment and Climate Change Canada launched a public engagement process to hear the opinions of Canadians and Indigenous peoples across the country to inform setting Canada’s 2035 national greenhouse gas emissions target. This important step is mandated under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act and Canada’s international obligations under the Paris Agreement.

Canada is steadily making progress on cutting our emissions and building a stronger economy. In 2015, Canada was trending to exceed 2005 greenhouse gas emissions levels. Today, following successive climate plans, culminating in the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy, we are now projected to exceed Canada’s interim objective of 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2026. We are also on the right trajectory to meet our 2030 goals, with many of the important building blocks needed for net zero already in place across all sectors of the economy.

The 2023 Progress Report on the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, published in December 2023, demonstrates that Canada’s climate plan is working, and that the emissions curve is bending. In addition to the federal government, other partners, stakeholders, provinces, territories, and municipalities across Canada are helping drive down emissions. Setting the 2035 target will help advance ongoing economic opportunities that are driving Canada to net zero by 2050, such as electrification, energy efficiency, and waste reduction.

To help inform the government’s work in setting the 2035 target, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, is inviting Canadians to share their views on the virtual public engagement platform, Talking Targets: Canada’s Climate Future, which is open until March 28, 2024, 11:59 p.m. (PDT). The input collected through this engagement process is one of several components that need to be considered when setting the 2035 target.

Canada is leading the next decade of climate action toward a more sustainable future, but we can’t do it alone. We need everyone to join us in taking climate action.

“Canadians want to ensure their kids and grandkids are left with a world that has clean air and good-paying jobs. Through the efforts of millions of Canadians from coast to coast to coast, we have been bending the curve on pollution, putting us on track to meet our climate targets. We have made substantial progress, but we know we need to do more. As we see from the intensifying wildfires, droughts, and heat waves, taking action today is what will protect our future. I look forward to working with everyone and receiving input to set Canada’s 2035 emissions reduction target and build Canada’s sustainable future together.”
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change 

Under the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), countries agreed to collectively strengthen the global response to climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2 °C while also pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5 °C.All countries party to the Paris Agreement must submit greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, referred to as nationally determined contributions, to the UNFCCC.Canada’s 2030 nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement was updated in 2021, with the enhanced target of 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels.Canada’s next nationally determined contribution will be the 2035 emissions reduction target.The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act enshrines Canada’s climate goals into law. It requires the government to establish targets and plans to achieve them at regular milestones on the pathway to net zero by 2050.Under the Act, the government must set an emissions reduction target for 2035 by December 1, 2024.The 2035 target is another milestone in the Government of Canada’s transparent and accountable approach to charting the course to net-zero emissions by 2050. Under the Act, increasingly ambitious targets must be set every five years between 2030 and 2050 to ensure Canada stays on track to achieve the net-zero objective.

Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy2023 Progress Report on the 2030 Emissions Reduction PlanExecutive Summary of the 2023 Progress Report on the 2030 Emissions Reduction PlanGreenhouse Gas Emissions Projections

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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada