Alberta holds its breath ahead of COP26

(Calgary) As international leaders travel to Glasgow this week for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Alberta, which is perhaps the Canadian jurisdiction with the most to lose, will hold its breath.

COP26, as it’s called, will be the largest global summit on climate change since Paris in 2015.

At that time, Canada made a commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from 2005 levels by 2030, with the goal of keeping global warming below 1, 5 degree Celsius.

This goal has led to a number of actions taken by Justin Trudeau’s government, including the introduction of a federal carbon tax and a future green fuel standard.

The federal government has since raised the bar on its own ambitions, saying it is now aiming for a 40-45% reduction by 2035. To do so, the government has announced five-year emission reduction targets for oil and gas industries, as well as methane regulations.

Policies like these are why many people in Alberta – the heart of Canada’s oil and gas industry – will be watching closely what happens at the top of Glasgow.

” It is important. It influences policy and resource development, ”said Tristan Goodman, president of the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, a lobby group representing oil and gas companies.

Mr Goodman said that while the oil and gas industry may have viewed UN climate summits with a sense of apprehension in the past, this is no longer the case today. Since Paris, he argued, the industry has undergone a radical change in its understanding of the issue of climate change, with many companies making commitments on their own to achieve carbon neutrality and investing in green initiatives. such as hydrogen, the capture and storage of greenhouse gases or wind power.

“Most energy companies in Canada know they are going through an energy transition. They have accepted it and are now considering their opportunities. ”

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) will send its own delegation to the Glasgow summit, which will include its president, Tim McMillan.

However, neither the Premier of Alberta, Jason Kenney, nor even one of his ministers will attend the climate summit. In an email, Alberta Environment Minister Jason Nixon said his government was avoiding non-essential travel for the time being, adding that “one more politician flying to Glasgow will not make any significant difference.”

Minister Nixon added that Alberta takes climate change seriously, underscoring the province’s methane reduction targets, as well as the lead on its timeline for phasing out its dependence on coal.

He added, however, that Alberta and the province’s energy industry are frustrated with Canada’s “evolving emissions targets” and need clarity and predictability when it comes to climate policy.

The chair of the non-partisan think tank The Canadian West Foundation, Gary Mar, explained that many Albertans fear that COP26 will result in increased pressure to phase out fossil fuels altogether. He argued that the energy industry is making real progress in reducing emissions, but that it is foolish to suggest that it can renew itself or be replaced by renewables overnight: “You can’t actually transition just by removing things. You have to know what these things are going to be replaced with ”.

Several critics allege, however, that Alberta is not doing all it can on the climate front. The province doesn’t even have an overall emissions reduction target in place, noted Simon Dyer, deputy executive director of the Pembina Institute, a clean energy think tank.

“Alberta is responsible for the largest proportion of Canada’s total emissions. The oil and gas sector is the most important economic sub-sector in the country, so Canada cannot achieve the emission reductions it needs without the cooperation of the jurisdiction responsible for the majority of those emissions. “, he said.

The chief executive of Alberta renewable energy company Greengate Power, Dan Balaban, pleaded that Canada should use the Glasgow summit as an incentive to go beyond words and take concrete action. He said it is important to secure public funds for the renewable energy sector, even though it may involve difficult choices.

“There are all kinds of industries vying for government financial support, including the fossil fuel industry and the renewable energy industry,” he said. If we are to achieve our carbon neutral goals, we need to take a very clear stance on those we intend to support from now on. ”