As part of the 26and Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) held last year in Glasgow, Prime Minister François Legault, in front of heads of government around the world, reiterated the commitment Quebec to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
This commitment is also shared by the Government of Canada which adopted, on June 29, 2021, the An Act respecting the transparency and accountability of Canada in its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Carbon neutrality by 2050 is a global imperative highlighted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in a recent report. The Conseil patronal de l’environnement du Québec (CPEQ), which represents the industrial community in Québec on all questions of the environment and sustainable development, adheres to this imperative, which is moreover endorsed by the governments of Québec and Canada, and recognizes the need to achieve carbon neutrality in order to limit global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, to respect the Paris Climate Agreement and, ideally, to keep warming to 1.5°C.
The concept of carbon neutrality differs from that of “zero emissions”. Indeed, reduced to its simplest expression, carbon neutrality implies a massive reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, without however completely eliminating them. Indeed, certain particular uses of fossil fuels or even certain industrial processes cannot be, according to known technologies, replaced by zero-emission solutions. Achieving carbon neutrality therefore implies that GHGs that cannot be reduced are captured and stored, either naturally or using carbon sequestration technology.
The road to carbon neutrality promises to be difficult, as major investments to develop new technologies and significant changes in behavior will have to be made by all actors in society.
In addition, to ensure a smooth transition, it is important to maintain a balance between the environment and the economy, and to maintain our industry’s ability to compete in the global economy.
It is in this context that the Quebec industrial sector can prove to be an important ally in achieving carbon neutrality. The industrial sector has already positioned itself as an active partner in the fight against climate change. In this sense, major investments have already been made by Quebec companies, which have generated carbon emission reductions of around 24.4% between 1990 and 2018 in this sector.
Thus, for example, in recent years, Quebec companies have announced large-scale projects such as:
- The collaboration between two giants of the aluminum sector, Alcoa and Rio Tinto, to develop here in Quebec a breakthrough technology, the Elysis process, which will make it possible to manufacture aluminum without carbon emissions;
- Electrification of the Diageo plant in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, at a cost of $94 million, to reduce annual GHG emissions by around 40,000 tonnes;
- Modification of the iron pellet manufacturing process at the ArcelorMittal plant in Port-Cartier, at a cost of $205 million, in order to reduce annual GHG emissions by around 200,000 tonnes from 2025 .
A strong industrial sector is essential to maintaining Quebec’s economic vitality, a fundamental condition for having the necessary resources to achieve the carbon neutrality objective. It is therefore important that public policies be designed in such a way as to maximize the role that the economic and industrial sector can play in achieving the carbon neutrality objective.