Over the last million years, CO2 never exceeded 280 ppm (based on actual readings of atmospheric chemistry from Antarctic ice core data.) Concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) are a very different measurement than emission rates. Concentrations have a very long lag time and will not be able to be decreased except over centuries, while emission rates can go down overnight. It is critical to start reducing emissions, because existing concentrations mean that we will see warming over the next 100 years from today’s emissions.

Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May and Dr. Andrew Weaver, a BC Green Party candidate running in the upcoming provincial election, believe that this unwanted milestone in the climate saga could be a turning point towards clean technology to reverse this trend.

“We are in a danger zone as we hit 400 ppm.  We must move to immediate reductions in GHG, and shift to new clean technologies,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

May recently tabled a private member’s bill to cap the carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants.

“It’s clear that emissions from these plants are some of the most dangerous for the planet. Using clean technologies that exist today can help us move into the 21st century,” said May.

There is a consensus in the scientific community that greenhouse gases should be limited to levels that would avoid allowing global average temperatures to rise by 2 degrees Celsius.  Scientists have marked that wide red line in a band from 425-450 ppm.

Climate scientist and Deputy Green Party Leader of British Columbia, Dr. Andrew Weaver, says this moment can bring a new economic reality to BC.

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Tabled in the House of Commons this week, May’s Private Members’ Bill C-484 amends the greenhouse gas emissionsregulations on coal electricity brought in late last year. “This Bill is what the Harper Conservatives would have done if they were serious about climate change,” said Elizabeth May. “Despite his talking points, Peter Kent bowed to the pressure of energy companies and weakened his already-weak greenhouse gas regulations on coal-fired electricity. C-484 shows how easily they could fix the regulations if they wanted to.”

These regulations, roundly criticized and wholly inadequate, sought to limit the greenhouse gasses produced through burning coal to generate electricity, yet contained gaping holes such as a 50 year grace period for plants built after 1986. Bill C-484 would insist that all coal-generated power plants in Canada adhere to the emissions standard, initially proposed by Peter Kent, of 375 tonnes per Gigawatt hour (t/GWh) by 2025.

“Any energy company executive that built a new coal plant in the last few decades was taking a calculated risk; the facts about climate change were already well known,” said Elizabeth May. “This Bill presents a responsible solution to our dirtiest sources of electricity that is both in line with what the science demands and provides sufficient time for Canada to transition our remaining baseload generation toward cleaner sources of energy.”

“How can we expect other countries like China, India, and the US to stop burning coal, when we can’t even manage to stop burning coal ourselves? We can’t be two-faced,” said Adam Olsen, Green Party candidate for Saanich North and the Islands. “Elizabeth’s Bill proposes that we start with our own backyard. It’s the right thing for our economy and for our environment.”

“With Canada’s high GDP and abundance of renewable energy sources we should be natural leaders in clean energy generation,” said Andrew Weaver, Green Party candidate for Oak Bay-Gordon Head and one of Canada’s leading climatologists. “Elizabeth’s private members bill is an important step in Canada’s much needed transition to a prosperous low carbon economy.”

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11 :00 a.m. – Elizabeth May will participate in a press conference with Green Party of BC candidates Adam Olsen and Andrew Weaver to discuss her recently tabled bill (C-484), a bill to control greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Inn At Laurel Point
680 Montreal Street
Victoria, BC

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She said: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of rising today to introduce this private member’s bill to reduce greenhouse gases. It has been clearly established that emissions from coal-fired power plants are one of the most dangerous sources of greenhouse gases for the planet.

My private member’s bill would work to improve and strengthen the weak regulations that have been put forward to deal with greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.

The post Bill C-484 Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions Regulations appeared first on Elizabeth May.

SUMMARY

This enactment requires the Governor in Council to make certain amendments to the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations in order to accelerate the reduction of such emissions in Canada.

BILL C-484

An Act Respecting the Amendment of the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations

• Whereas anthropogenic climate change — namely, the human-induced destabilization and warming of the global climate — is caused by the unregulated and wasteful emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, combined with deforestation and other land use changes that increase atmos-pheric carbon, and, as the greatest threat facing humanity, demands a proportionate response;
• Whereas Canada is committed to avoiding an increase of 2.0 degrees Celsius in average global temperature, which would cause major climatic disruption and loss of life, and that commitment requires that the growth in global greenhouse gas emissions be arrested by 2015 and then reversed, with an overall 80% reduction — and 90% reduction in developed countries — by 2050;
• Whereas, although Canada ratified a legally binding treaty, the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and thus committed to a 6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2012, the Government of Canada subsequently abandoned all efforts to meet that treaty’s obligations in 2006 and, at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009, Canada further weakened its commitment, to 2.5% above 1990 levels by 2020;
• Whereas Environment Canada’s 2012 Progress Report of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy acknowledges that Canada will not come close to meeting even the weak, scientifically unjustifiable greenhouse gas reduction commitment made in Copenhagen;
• Whereas it is well understood that emissions from coal-fired electric power plants are one of the most dangerous sources of greenhouse gases globally;
• Whereas alternatives to coal-fired generation of electricity are available and cost effective, especially within a framework of demand-side management;
• And whereas it is morally indefensible that Canada should criticize any other, less wealthy country for burning coal to provide electricity if Canada is unwilling to urgently phase out coal-generated electricity in Canada;

SOR/2012-167

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

1. The Governor in Council must, within 120 days after the coming into force of this Act, make the following amendments to the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations:

(a) subparagraphs (a)(ii) and (iii) of the definition “useful life” in section 2 are replaced by the following:
(ii) in any other case, December 31, 2025, and
(b) paragraph (b) of the definition “useful life” in section 2 is replaced by the following:
(b) for a unit referred to in paragraph (a) of the definition “commissioning date”, 18 months after the applicable date described in subparagraph (a)(i) or (ii).
(c) subsection 3(1) is replaced by the following:
Limit — 375t/GWh

3. (1) A responsible person for a new unit or an old unit must not, on average, emit with an intensity of more than 375 tonnes CO₂ emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels in the unit for each GWh of electricity produced by the unit during a calendar year.

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The regulations permit new plants if they emit less than 420 tonnes of carbon dioxide per gigawatt hour of electricity generated – which is a significant increase from the already excessive target of 375 tonnes that was presented in earlier drafts. The time allowed for old plants to satisfy new standards has also been increased from 45 to 50 years.

“In the face of the hottest summer on Canadian record and an all-time record low of sea ice in the Arctic, the Harper Conservatives have responded with increased resource development, weakened environmental assessment legislation and shamefully inadequate regulations for one of the largest sources of emissions in Canada,” said May.

“These unacceptable regulations also set a disturbing precedent for other energy sectors, including oil and gas, and send a clear message that the Harper Conservatives are more concerned with short-term economic gains over long-term sustainability and security,” said May.

The Green Party of Canada would place a ban on new coal-fired power plants and would implement policies to replace all fossil fuelled power generation with forms of renewable energy over time. The federal government should introduce carbon pricing to create a level playing field for all forms of power generation. This strategy would bring down emissions cheaper and faster than an outdated command and control approach.

“We are already becoming a pariah on the international stage because of our failure to implement effective regulations to curb emissions,” said Elizabeth May. “We can no longer delay in setting real targets, with measurable objectives, to reduce emissions and ensure long-term energy security.”

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Yesterday, US President Obama denied the construction permit for the 1,700-mile Keystone pipeline, which was heavily opposed due to potential risks of contamination along its route. “We now have an opportunity to rethink our ad hoc energy policy.  Lacking any explicit policy, the implicit policy appears to be to expand the tar sands as fast as possible while shipping out unprocessed bitumen crude for value added-elsewhere,” said May.

“While the Harper government tries to portray the issue of pipelines as the environment versus the economy, the reality is that these pipelines do not make economic sense.  There is more potential for jobs if we keep and refine the existing bitumen in Canada.  It is critical to freeze any new growth of the oil sands allowing value-added processing.  The reason oil companies don’t build refineries near the tar sands now has been described by former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed as due to ‘the traffic jam.’ Due to the hyper-inflationary situation created by unconstrained growth in the Athabasca region, labour and capital are in short supply and very expensive for other installations.” said May. “We need to begin the shift away from fossil fuels. Slowing the tar sands, shutting down coal-generated electricity, and diversifying our energy resources by expanding geo-thermal, solar, wind, tidal and small scale hydro, as well as investing in intensive energy efficiency improvements will create more jobs across Canada than the pipeline proposals, while giving us greater energy security and reduced greenhouse gases.” 

The Green Party is advocating increased environmental responsibility of oil sands developers and placing a moratorium on further oil sands development (i.e. increases in annual production).  Slowing the over-heated economy will allow refineries to be built in Alberta.  The major energy union operating in the Athabasca region, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, has estimated that the Keystone Pipeline represents the export of more than 40,000 Canadian jobs. “Canadian jobs in upgrading and refining will literally go down the pipe to the U.S. with the 900,000 barrels of unrefined bitumen,” said Dave Coles, CEP President. “Meanwhile, Canadian refineries are closing.”

The proposed Keystone Pipeline would have run to the US Gulf Coast to refineries there.  “We have a chance here to focus on building a secure energy economy.  Fifty-five per cent of the oil used in Canada comes from Venezuela, Nigeria and other OPEC nations. From parts of Ontario east, Canadians have no access to the oil our Prime Minister is so keen to pump south to create jobs in Texas.  What’s wrong with this picture?” asked Elizabeth May.

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“On the heels of Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, now Harper’s Conservatives are backing away from the one step they were preparing to take to address climate change concerns in Canada,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.  “This news suggests that the Harper government has no intention to deal with Canada’s growing emissions.”

Regulations to impose carbon capture restrictions on new coal-fired power plants and phase out coal emissions have been in the works for some time now.  Some climate scientists are calling for the elimination of coal-fired power in developed countries within this decade.  Now, it appears the regulations will emerge in a weakened state, with Environment Minister Kent promising flexibility mechanisms to ease the burden of eliminating coal-fired generation.

“At best, weaker regulations mean that provinces will be able to get away with reducing emissions less overall, as they will be able to count emissions reductions they might have made anyway against the requirement to phase out coal emissions.  At worst, the flexibility could allow emissions to grow if provinces are permitted to set intensity targets or use offsets,” said May.

“Intensity targets that simply dictate the proportion of energy that can come from dirty coal allow coal plants to continue to operate, weakening the effect of national regulations.  One can already see that the supposed equivalencies that provinces would offer could be weaker than the federal regulations,” said Erich Jacoby-Hawkins, the Green Party critic for Ecological Fiscal Reform.

“Canada needs federal leadership, working with the provinces to ensure real and verified emissions reductions.  Hollow regulations that fail to reduce emissions are worse than nothing at all,” said May.  “Thank goodness we have provinces and municipalities that are working to curb climate change, in spite of the roadblocks from the Harper government.”

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