As delegates from the Université de Sherbrooke at COP27, and cohort of the micro-program in international climate policies and negotiations, we closely followed the themes, issues and processes related to the latest negotiations. In our efforts, we have only been confronted with symbolic victories. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is however clear on the climate emergency: our governments must do more. On our scale, Québec cannot be a figurehead internationally without enhancing its national leadership.
A subnational leader
At COP27, world leaders came together to implement their commitments to the climate crisis. The Government of Quebec, a regular at this international meeting, was there.
Ministers Benoit Charette (Environment, Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks) and Pierre Fitzgibbon (Economy, Innovation and Energy) reiterated Québec’s international climate leadership by taking noteworthy gestures at COP27. They announced a contribution of 10 million to the Adaptation Fund and 6.6 million to support the global agriculture sector. To this, Quebec added the launch of its new Mobilization Strategy for Climate Action.
This leadership also appears both globally and in North America. Québec stands out, among other things, for the development of batteries and the electrification of transportation thanks to avant-garde technologies, which allows it to showcase its expertise in the green economy. Quebec plans to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles as early as 2035. In addition, Quebec recently put a definitive end to oil and gas exploration. It also acts as a standard bearer on this issue by joining the Beyond Oil and Gas (BOGA) alliance. The federal government should take inspiration from Quebec on this issue.
Yet these efforts fall short of the climate emergency.
An incomplete strategy
Quebec is aiming for a 37.5% reduction in its GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. However, only 51% of the efforts to reach this target are translated into concrete measures. Despite calls from the IPCC to raise climate ambition levels, this target has remained unchanged since 2015, when it was adopted. Quebec’s GHG emissions fell by only 2.7% compared to their 1990 level in 2019, while the target was 20% for 2020.
Quebec’s climate strategy is currently mainly based on the green economy. This clashes with the latest IPCC report, which recalls that the climate challenge is also cultural and social. We will not drastically reduce our emissions without questioning our lifestyles.
Similarly, this strategy does not provide for any real adaptation plan aimed at reducing the vulnerability of ecosystems and communities in the face of global warming.
We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change. They are expected to intensify in the coming years. Preparing for it means showing leadership.
Choosing the path of social dialogue
To be a leader, the government must dare to put the quality of life, the protection of the environment and the decarbonization of the economy at the heart of its decisions. Quebec is strategically positioned to become a world leader in the green economy, but the climate challenge goes well beyond the development of a strategic sector.
COP27 was not a space to sell its green industry internationally. COPs can be a window for initiating socio-ecological transformations. They must reflect the leadership based on the social dialogue that we choose to have here.
Choosing the path of social dialogue means collaborating to amplify the voice of those who use their expertise on a daily basis for the benefit of a socio-ecological transition. There are only advantages to relying on our collective intelligence around a social project.
It is by reaping the fruits of social dialogue in Quebec that we can aspire to shine internationally. It is therefore by enhancing our national leadership that we can shine better beyond our borders.
So why not start with COP15 on biodiversity in Montreal? The government has an opportunity to build a national consensus on the protection of nature and its essential services. It is in this way that Quebec leadership will be able to distinguish itself worldwide.
Putting blinders on will not solve the climate crisis. We can only look up and face it, together.