Blog & Opinion - Page 5 of 56

Jun 17 2019

No, Canada cannot get credit for its low-carbon exports

The federal government has recently announced that it intends to seek credit toward Canada’s emissions reduction targets for the GHG-reducing effects of Canadian exports. It argues that supplying Canadian clean energy such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) can reduce other countries’ emissions by displacing more emissions-intensive energy sources such as coal. Minister of Natural Resources Amarjeet […]

Jun 13 2019

How can the West work with China on climate change?

by Brendan Frank

Climate and Energy Carbon Pricing China Competitiveness Oil & Gas Sector

Climate change is a global problem requiring global cooperation. The world’s biggest emitter is making progress, but has much more to do. Given the whole world has a stake in accelerating its decarbonization, how can Canada (and the West) help China reduce emissions? Let’s take a look at our wonderful array of options—from exports to […]

A dragon sits on a hilled landscape, polluting factories to its left and clean technologies to its right

Jun 12 2019

China’s sprawling approach to climate policy

by Brendan Frank

Climate and Energy Cap-and-trade Carbon Pricing China Clean-tech Climate Change Complementary Policies Green Growth

It is indisputable that getting global emissions under control requires getting China’s emissions under control. So what is China doing about it? Not only is the nation of 1.4 billion getting serious about climate change, its policy approach often resembles Canada’s. The details warrant careful unpacking. Here is the present and future of China’s climate […]

Jun 11 2019

The scale of China’s climate challenge

by Brendan Frank

Climate and Energy China Climate Change Coal Renewable energy

You can’t talk about climate change without talking about China. It has the most people, the most pollution, and the world’s largest economy by some measures. It is a 21st century superpower, and its actions—at home and abroad—have global implications. As a result, China is a common “whataboutism.” It’s often held up as the reason […]

Jun 5 2019

Switching GHG accounting systems is not a solution

by Jason Dion

Climate and Energy Carbon Coordination Carbon Pricing Complementary Policies

Is Canada’s greenhouse gas emission problem just an accounting issue? Is the GHG measurement system used by the UNFCCC fundamentally flawed, unfair to Canada, or both? Would switching systems make achieving our targets easier and solve concerns around emissions leakage? Short answer: not so much. The status quo: “territorial-based” GHG inventories Let me start by […]

May 29 2019

Without climate policy, “innovation” is just a buzzword

by Brendan Frank

Technology and Innovation Economics for the Rest of Us Green Growth Provincial Policy

Lately we’ve seen argument after argument after argument for using “technology” and “innovation” as fixes for climate change. But reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires specific types of innovation. Without broad incentives that signal the value of low- or zero-carbon technologies, we’ll get more of what led us to this point. Ironically, carbon pricing opponents are […]