TABLE OF CONTENTS
Execuve Summary
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4
Secon One: The Problem
Introducon ................................................................................................................................8The Vancouver Declaraon .........................................................................................................8
Ten Percent of Two Percent ......................................................................................................
10
Saskatchewan’s Exisng Contribuons To Global GHG Reducons ..........................................
12
Looking Beyond Our Borders: The Other 98 Percent ................................................................
15
Secon Two: A Call For Meaningful Acon
Recommendaon 1: Refocus the Conversaon ........................................................................19Recommendaon 2: An Emphasis on Innovaon and Technology ...........................................
23
Recommendaon 3: The Case Against a Carbon Tax ................................................................
30
Recommendaon 4: The Case Against Cap and Trade ..............................................................
31
Recommendaon 5: Carbon Capture and Sequestraon .........................................................
34
Recommendaon 6: SaskPower and Renewables ....................................................................
35
Recommendaon 7, 8: Nuclear ................................................................................................
39Recommendaon 9, 10: Oil and Gas ........................................................................................
42
Recommendaon 11: Agriculture ............................................................................................
47Recommendaon 12: Carbon Sinks .........................................................................................
50
Recommendaon 13: Adaptaon ............................................................................................
52
Conclusion
......................................................................................................................................
52
4
There is no denying it. We have a problem; a problem that has to be solved for the sake of current and future generaons. Climate change is real. Science tells us it is caused by factors that can be divided into two categories: factors related to natural processes and factors related to human acvity.
1
As we go about the business of feeding people and building an economy, we generate carbon and other gasses. That carbon causes the planet to warm, and the current rate of warming endangers our
future.
In the last decade, global temperatures have been higher 75 percent of the me when compared to the last 11,300 years. The global concentraon of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached 400 parts per million. This is the highest rate in recorded history. Carbon and water cycle sciensts like Dr. Erika Podest say CO2 concentraons have not been this high in millions of years.
2
The release of other gasses are also presenng challenges. Methane is the second-most prevalent greenhouse gas. The United States Environmental Protecon Agency esmates that pound for pound, methane’s impact on climate change is 25 mes greater than carbon over a 100 year period.Methane levels from industrial acvity are increasing. Measures by the Governments of Canada and the United States to control methane emissions in the oil and gas sector have been introduced with lile in the way of input from industry and other levels of government. These measures are important. However, as is explored in detail later in this paper, they must be introduced in a way that minimizes trade distoron, cross-border compeveness and costly alteraons to industry pracces.We have to take steps now to limit climate change: this fact is indisputable. What is disputable, however, is the eecveness of approaches being used by some governments to address this problem.There is no doubt that the cost of inacon is far greater than the cost of smart, eecve acons that actually reduce greenhouse gasses (GHG). The problem is that some of the acons being proposed are not smart or eecve. This leaves us pursuing costly ‘soluons’ that do nothing to address the problem at hand – carbon in the atmosphere.When it comes to climate change, we are having the wrong conversaon in Canada. It is me to reframe the queson. It is me for an innovaon-based focus, with an internaonal outlook. Pursuing this strategy will be challenging. However, it is the only way that we can truly deal with the problem of reducing global GHG emissions.
1 From “Causes of Climate Change,” Government of Canada, available at: http://climatechange.gc.ca/defaultasp?lang=En&n=65CD73F4-1. Natural causes include volcanic activity and changes in solar radiation. Human factors include burning fossil fuels and the conversion of land for forestry and agriculture.2 NASA Global Climate Change, available at: climate.nasa.gov/400ppmquotes/
We are made wise not by therecollecon of our past, but by the responsibility for our
future.
–GEORGE BERNARD SHAW