Ottawa, Canada, January 27, 2023 – Today, Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB) released its annual report, Compete and Succeed in a Net-Zero Future, featuring concrete solutions the Government of Canada should implement to ensure Canada benefits from a global net-zero economy, accelerates the attainment of a net-zero emissions economy, and generates clean prosperity for generations to come.
Canada has committed to fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45% by 2030 from 2005 levels and reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Canada has built a credible foundation to meet these targets, but it must remain at the forefront of the net-zero movement to ensure competitiveness in the global economy, sustain well-being, create good net-zero compatible jobs, and attract investments to leverage competitive advantages. Independent advice and targeting a whole-of-society approach to transformation across all parts of the economy, is critical to achieving Canada's climate objectives.
The report to the federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change includes 25 recommendations across the NZAB’s three lines of inquiry identified for 2022-23: net-zero governance, net-zero industrial policy, and net-zero energy systems. This advice was informed through engagement with over 100 decision-makers and experts, including industry experts, academia, non-governmental organizations and associations, and Indigenous rights-holders. Implementing these actions without delay is essential to succeed in creating a prosperous net-zero future for all Canadians. The net-zero transition is our generation’s moonshot, and we must undertake it with a clear sense of urgency.
Launched in February 2021 and formalized under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act in June 2021, the NZAB is mandated to provide independent advice to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change with respect to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. In turn, the Act requires the Minister to publicly respond to the advice outlined in the annual report within 120 days.
In 2023, the NZAB will continue to deepen its advice.
Highlights
- Compete and Succeed in a Net-Zero Future is the third report to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change since the NZAB was founded, and first legislated annual report under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act.
- The NZAB’s annual report contains 25 pieces of advice across three priority areas: (1) net-zero governance, (2) net-zero industrial policy, and (3) net-zero energy systems.
- To inform this annual report, the NZAB hosted briefings, roundtable discussions, and conference engagement activities with a range of decision-makers and experts, including industry experts, academics, Indigenous organizations, labour representatives, and non-governmental organizations. It also received emailed comments from members of the public.
Links
Quotes:
“While climate plans to date set a strong foundation for reducing emissions, there needs to be widespread understanding that eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from the economy in a net zero way, is fundamentally different from reducing greenhouse gases. Incremental change to our current systems will simply not result in systems that are functional and net zero by 2050. We need to define the necessary future systems now to allow sufficient time to build them by 2050.”
– Dan Wicklum, NZAB Co-Chair
“Seizing the upsides of net-zero by 2050 will require unprecedented transformations of Canada’s economy and energy systems, both of which depend on a firm collective commitment towards shared objectives.”
– Marie-Pierre Ippersiel, NZAB Co-Chair
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We Want to Hear From You – Public Engagement Period Now Open Until December 6, 2024
Help us develop advice on Canada’s options to address excess emissions. Share your input on describing Canada’s net-zero energy system future and provincial and territorial contributions to Canada reaching net-zero.
The Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB) is mandated to provide the Minister of Environment and Climate Change with independent advice with respect to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Our independent advice takes into account the best scientific information available, Canada's international commitments with respect to climate change, and Indigenous knowledge.
Engagement is fundamental to the NZAB’s advice, ensuring that our advice to the Minister is informed and reflects the diverse perspectives from across Canada and requiring close collaboration with Indigenous partners, provinces and territories, industry and civil society.
This is an important time for the NZAB. We are undertaking a variety of projects and initiatives to inform our advice to the Minister. This is why we have devised a questionnaire to help develop advice in a collaborative manner.
Current engagement period: open now through December 6, 2024.
To have your voice heard:
- Download the PDF file below containing the questionnaire (Press ↓ under Share this post).
- Fill out all the questions you wish to answer.
- Send completed questionnaires to gcpc-nzab@ec.gc.ca no later than December 6, 2024.
If your submission is on behalf of an organization, please include the name of the organization with your questionnaire submission.
If you are submitting as an individual, to help protect your privacy, you are encouraged not to provide any personally identifiable information.
Thank you for your continued engagement to inform Canada’s pathways to net-zero.
Links
- Climate's Bottom Line: Carbon Budgeting and Canada’s 2035 Target
- Technical Annex (Canadian Climate Institute): Options for Canada's 2035 emissions reduction target
NZAB Carbon Budget Panel at COP29
Members from Canada's Net-Zero Advisory Body will be attending the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP), taking place this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22. The NZAB is hosting an event at the Canadian Pavilion on November 16.
The Net-Zero Advisory Body is pleased to host Climate's Bottom Line: Carbon Budgets and Global Collaboration at COP29. This will be an international dialogue on carbon budgets as a science-based tool to spur climate action. It will feature insights and findings from our recent report: Climate's Bottom Line: Carbon Budgeting and Canada's 2035 Target in which we recommend developing a national carbon budget.
Panelists will share perspectives and experiences with carbon budgets, which have been implemented in several countries to better track the effect of policy decisions on the climate and the consequences of delaying action. Carbon budgets specify the total greenhouse gas emissions permitted over a period of time to limit a specific global temperature increase. Akin to a household budget, national carbon budgets can help ensure countries “spend only what they can afford” by tracking cumulative emissions or “expenses” over time and allocating them based on the remaining greenhouse gas emissions in the budget.
The panel will include remarks from Catherine Stewart, Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change, and feature our co-chair Simon Donner and member Catherine Abreu along with Ben Rhodes, head of the International Climate Councils Network Secretariat, Heleen de Coninck, vice-chair of the Netherlands Scientific Climate Council, and Piers Forster, chair of the UK Climate Change Committee. The panelists will share their perspectives and experiences with carbon budgets, discuss their scientific basis, and identify how carbon budgets can be used alongside other measures to track emissions and communicate national progress towards achieving global climate objectives.
Links
Net-Zero Advisory Body releases reports on Canada’s 2030 and 2035 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets
Ottawa, Canada, September 26, 2024 –The Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB) advises the federal government to redouble its efforts and implement new measures to reach its 2030 climate target and adopt a 2035 target and tools comparable to trading partners.
In a new report, “Climate’s Bottom Line: Carbon Budgeting and Canada’s 2035 Target”, the NZAB recommends developing a national carbon budget—the total greenhouse gas emissions that Canada will emit over time. Carbon budgets are used by other countries to better track the effect of policy decisions on the climate and the consequences of delaying action.
Alongside the carbon budget, the NZAB recommends that Canada adopt a 2035 emissions target of 50-55% reduction below 2005 levels. The proposed target meets the Paris Agreement requirement to increase ambition, and will help Canada keep paces with the ambitious climate goals of its G7 partners. Meeting the target will require greater ambition on decarbonization from the federal government, and also from provinces, territories, municipalities, and the private sector.
In a companion report “Closing the Gap: Reaching Canada’s 2030 Emissions Target”, the NZAB advises the federal government on how the country can achieve its 2030 target, of a 40-45% reduction below 2005 levels. The report highlights five key areas of action: 1) Finalize existing policy measures, 2) Address negative interactions between policies, 3) Strengthen industrial carbon pricing, 4) Secure additional reductions from the oil and gas sector, and 5) Pursue a small number of additional high-impact actions. These complementary actions will give Canada the best chance of meeting its target.
The reports were developed in response to requests from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and with the support of research from the Canadian Climate Institute.
Canada committed to reduce GHG emissions by 40–45% below 2005 levels by 2030 as its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. The 2030 target is established in legislation through the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. The Act also requires Canada to announce its 2035 target by December 1, 2024.
The 2030 and 2035 targets are crucial milestones to ensure Canada is on the right path to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Net-zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) that is produced and the amount that's removed from the atmosphere. Efforts to mitigate climate action over the next decade will be critical to setting Canada up for success on our pathway to net-zero.
Quick Facts
- NZAB is mandated under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act to engage Canadians and provide independent advice to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change with respect to achieving Canada’s target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
- NZAB members are appointed by the Governor in Council and bring together a diverse range of expertise. The NZAB provides independent advice to the Minister based on the best available scientific information and knowledge, including Indigenous Knowledge.
- To inform its advice, NZAB engaged with decision-makers and experts, including industry experts, academics, labour representatives, and non-governmental organizations, and published an initial summary of what was heard through the NZAB’s engagement activities on its website.
- The Canadian Climate Institute provided research and analytical support in Technical Annexes that accompany the NZAB reports.
Links
- Climate's Bottom Line: Carbon Budgeting and Canada’s 2035 Target
- Technical Annex (Canadian Climate Institute): Options for Canada's 2035 emissions reduction target
- Closing the Gap: Reaching Canada’s 2030 Emissions Target
- Technical Annex (Canadian Climate Institute): Closing the Gap to 2030
Quotes
“The 2035 target is a crucial milestone on Canada’s pathway to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Our efforts to mitigate climate change over the next decade will be critical to setting Canada up for success on our pathway to net-zero, including realization of benefits such as jobs in the growing renewable energy sector, more affordable and reliable electricity, and improved health through cleaner energy.”
~Sarah Houde, NZAB Co-Chair
“The Government of Canada has made significant progress on climate action to reduce emissions over the past eight years since signing the Paris Agreement in 2016. However, more aggressive and sustained action is necessary to reach our 2030 emissions target and to shift to a long-term net-zero pathway. Our advice focuses on how to finish what has been started, improve what exists, and then implement new policies.”
~Simon Donner, NZAB Co-Chair
Compete and succeed in a net zero future
Concrete solutions that the Government of Canada should implement to ensure that Canada benefits from a carbon-neutral global economy, accelerates the achievement of a carbon-neutral economy and generates clean prosperity for generations to come.