Clean Energy Canada | Canada's 2050 low-carbon strategy hits the mark
November 18, 2016

Dan Woynillowicz, policy director at Clean Energy Canada, made the following comments on the release of Canada’s long-term low-carbon strategy.

QUOTES

“It’s great to see Canada among the world’s leaders in creating a plan for deep cuts to carbon pollution. This long-term strategy helps fill a big gap in Canada’s approach to climate change, and it illustrates the kind of clean growth future we need to build.

“A 2050 timeline may sound abstract or irrelevant. It’s not: governments and companies are making decisions every day about infrastructure projects that will last for decades.

“This strategy is crystal clear that we need a transition from fossil fuels to clean energy across Canada’s economy. The analysis also confirms that clean power will be at the heart of our transition—not just to cut pollution from electricity, but to provide energy for our cars, our homes, and many of our industries. Canada’s leaders can lay the groundwork for exactly this kind of clean growth at the First Ministers’ Meeting next month.”

KEY FACTS

From the strategy’s electricity chapter:

• Canada’s electricity generating portfolio is already more than 80% non-emitting, which provides Canada with a comparative advantage relative to countries that still rely more heavily on coal or natural gas for electricity.
• We should plan for significant growth in electricity demand over the longer term, and “non-emitting sources will need to be considered for all new and existing” electricity needs.