For François Legault, the harvest of compliments was unexpected in New York. The Prime Minister has been called an environmental “hero,” no less, by Al Gore.
Environmentalists had difficulty managing their emotions. A bad play on words, from which I dissociate myself as a precaution, circulated on Wednesday: “The Al-Gore-ithm is out of whack. »
However, this support is not surprising. It is part of the tradition of flowers received by Quebec at climatic summits.
In 2010 in Cancún, Jean Charest received an award while he was preparing the shale gas rush. A portion of a forest in South Australia was even named in his honor.
In 2015 in Paris, Philippe Couillard was praised by Al Gore for his “fantastic” work. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased slightly at the end of his reign.
In 2020 in Glasgow, François Legault received a “Leadership” award on behalf of Quebec for his role in carbon pricing in America.
This week in New York, the former vice-president of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize winner went further by praising Mr. Legault. This time, it was for its participation in the Beyond Oil and Gas coalition, made up of 12 countries and states which are renouncing the exploitation of their fossil fuels. These include France, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland and Washington State.
Mr. Legault has come a long way. In 2015, he deplored the fact that Mr. Couillard abandoned the oil mirage on Anticosti Island, a decision announced on the sidelines of the meeting with Al Gore. The CAQ leader contemptuously described his opponent as a “green giant”.
Mr. Legault was then in favor of oil and gas exploitation. His conversion happened slowly. He ended up abandoning the Quebec GNL project, he abandoned the Quebec-Lévis road tunnel and he is timidly starting to talk about energy efficiency.
He is not a visionary. But at least he’s not the dunce anymore. He has caught up with the times and is improving.
Let’s take a step back to understand Mr. Gore’s statement.
The Paris agreement in its current form would not be enough to limit warming to 1.5°C, as climatologists recommend. Furthermore, this agreement itself is not respected and those who violate it are not punished.
Politicians wonder what is the point of reducing their GHGs if their neighbors do not do so. This inability to cooperate brings us closer to a sixth mass extinction.
This is why Al Gore praises the Quebec carbon market and the Beyond Oil and Gas group. He wants to replace this defensive reflex with a virtuous circle.
Historically, cities and provinces such as Quebec and California have launched initiatives that have been taken up by their federal government. Mr. Gore encourages this emulation.
His intervention thus focused more on international climate diplomacy than on our internal political debates.
Mr. Legault is pleased that Quebec is the state that emits the least GHG per capita in North America (excluding Mexico). However, any assessment depends on the geography and industrial structure of a country.
To evaluate a politician, it is better to check what he does and what it costs him.
Between 1990 and 2019*, Quebec reduced its emissions by barely 3%. Mr. Legault is targeting a reduction of 37.5% by 2030. A little more than half of the required measures have been determined on paper. It remains to be seen whether they will materialize.
The European Union is doing better. GHGs declined by 25% in 1990-2019. The target is -55% for 2030, and current efforts have already made it possible to reach -41%.
Mr. Legault stands out above all for his concern to benefit economically from the energy transition by ensuring that the batteries for electric vehicles are produced in Quebec.
Liberals, PQ and solidarity activists criticize him on other issues, such as transport and the destruction of wetlands. It is above all inaction that harms him politically.
At the federal level, it is the opposite.
Canada is sitting on enormous oil and gas resources. Since 1990, its GHGs have jumped 23%.
The Minister of the Environment, the former activist Steven Guilbeault, is not a recent convert. His reform plans are of unprecedented scale, and he is paying the price. Conservatives accuse him of wanting to sacrifice the Prairies and threaten to dismantle his work.
No matter what we think of MM. Legault and Guilbeault, there is something to remember from the Al Gore method.
You can’t always hit everyone. To encourage action, we must also salute the good moves, even the modest ones, and support those who take the slaps by fighting for a more breathable future.
*I am using the period 1990-2019 because the pandemic truncated the results in 2020 and 2021. Post-pandemic figures are not yet available.