Alberta aims for net-zero emissions by 2050 in 'aspirational' climate plan
THERE IS AN ELECTION END OF MAY
Alberta is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a newly-unveiled plan released Wednesday, though details on how that will be achieved remain to be seen.
The plan is described by the government as “aspirational” and emphasizes carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
“Large scale support for CCUS is critical for meeting Canada’s long term energy needs and climate goals,” Environment Minister Sonya Savage told reporters in Calgary on Wednesday, calling the plan a made-in-Alberta approach.
“There is no path to net zero without carbon capture.”
The 2050 date to be net-zero matches the federal government’s timeline , though unlike Ottawa’s plan, Alberta’s does not include specific, short-term goals to be met while progressing towards no emissions.
“I don’t see it as a gap,” Savage said of the lack of interim targets.
“Before we regulate or impose limits on specific industries and interim targets there’s more work to be done. We have to see what’s achievable.”
There’s no legislative or regulatory mechanism in the plan to enforce the 2050 target, something Savage said could come in the future.
“It’s about having realistic pathways to get there and providing the supportive and right policy frameworks to do it,” she said.
“We’re not looking at legislating it, but someday another minister, another government may say … ‘let’s put it into legislation.'”
The plan also lacks details on what specifically needs to be done in terms of funding and infrastructure to meet the 2050 target.
It does promise to possibly address the largest source of Alberta’s emissions — the provincial oil sands — by reducing the oil sands emissions limit.
The oil sands account for about a third of the province’s greenhouse gas emissions.
And, the plan also affirms the government’s commitment to the oil industry, with Savage saying that it will “continue to be a key part of the global energy mix in the coming decades.”
“Instead of moving away from hydrocarbons, our plan shows that we are using these resources in new and different ways.”
Alberta has launched its own climate plan on four other occasions going back to 1998.
“It’s important that we have a climate plan,” Savage said. “We were behind.”
mblack@postmedia.com
Twitter @ByMatthewBlack
\© Provided by Edmonton Journal
Alberta is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a newly-unveiled plan released Wednesday, though details on how that will be achieved remain to be seen.
The plan is described by the government as “aspirational” and emphasizes carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
“Large scale support for CCUS is critical for meeting Canada’s long term energy needs and climate goals,” Environment Minister Sonya Savage told reporters in Calgary on Wednesday, calling the plan a made-in-Alberta approach.
“There is no path to net zero without carbon capture.”
THIS IS OF COURSE A MYTHIC TECH NOT IN OPERATION YET
The 2050 date to be net-zero matches the federal government’s timeline , though unlike Ottawa’s plan, Alberta’s does not include specific, short-term goals to be met while progressing towards no emissions.
“I don’t see it as a gap,” Savage said of the lack of interim targets.
“Before we regulate or impose limits on specific industries and interim targets there’s more work to be done. We have to see what’s achievable.”
There’s no legislative or regulatory mechanism in the plan to enforce the 2050 target, something Savage said could come in the future.
“It’s about having realistic pathways to get there and providing the supportive and right policy frameworks to do it,” she said.
“We’re not looking at legislating it, but someday another minister, another government may say … ‘let’s put it into legislation.'”
The plan also lacks details on what specifically needs to be done in terms of funding and infrastructure to meet the 2050 target.
It does promise to possibly address the largest source of Alberta’s emissions — the provincial oil sands — by reducing the oil sands emissions limit.
The oil sands account for about a third of the province’s greenhouse gas emissions.
And, the plan also affirms the government’s commitment to the oil industry, with Savage saying that it will “continue to be a key part of the global energy mix in the coming decades.”
“Instead of moving away from hydrocarbons, our plan shows that we are using these resources in new and different ways.”
Alberta has launched its own climate plan on four other occasions going back to 1998.
“It’s important that we have a climate plan,” Savage said. “We were behind.”
mblack@postmedia.com
Twitter @ByMatthewBlack
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