Canada’s Climate Policy Crossroads

• In Event: Environmental Politics in Canada

Abstract

International climate policy has begun to focus on curtailing the supply of fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal), the lead source of emissions causing the intensifying climate crisis. Yet while winding down fossil fuel production is an essential part of effective climate policy, it presents a significant dilemma for major producers like Canada.

In advance of the 26th Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, transnational activists launched the “Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty,” calling on governments to phase out fossil fuel production. Shortly after, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance emerged to do precisely that – with eight national and sub-national governments vowing to phase-out oil and gas production. Even mainstream international energy analyses, notably the International Energy Agency, underscore that there can be no new oil and gas development if we are to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Yet countries heavily dependent on fossil fuel production are not aligning production with climate limits. Canada is a standout example: the consumption of Canada’s oil and gas resources could significantly deplete the world’s carbon budget, yet the Canada Energy Regulator anticipates increasing oil and gas production until 2039.

This paper analyses the implications of changing global energy politics on Canada’s oil and gas production. We consider what it might mean to align oil and gas production with international climate commitments, paying particular attention to institutional dynamics such as federal assessment and regulation of energy projects, as well as public financing for oil and gas development.

Authors

• Amy Janzwood, University of British Columbia

• Angela V. Carter, University of Waterloo

• Kathryn Harrison, University of British Columbia