1. What happened and where:
On March 3rd, 2016 the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premiers of all provinces and territories agreed to the Vancouver Declaration on Clean Growth and Climate Change.
2. Why is this agreement important:
The Vancouver Agreement follows Canada's commitment to the Paris Agreement which calls for significant reductions in GHG emissions to limit global warming to less than
2°C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5
°C above preindustrial levels. It also recognizes the requirement for global emissions to approach zero by the second half of this century and calls on indigenous peoples and other actors including, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), businesses, financial institutions and municipalities to be mobilized to face the challenge of Climate change.
The Vancouver Agreement sets out a process to which the women and men of Canada's clean technology industry can contribute to building and delivering Canada's plan for Clean Growth and Climate Change.
3. What will be done?
In four areas, new working groups will be struck to build the plans to deliver on both Clean Growth and Climate Change. Canadians working in clean technology firms will have the opportunity to contribute their expertise and experience to these groups and to explain how their company can contribute to clean growth and to Canada's climate change plan.
4. What are the four working groups?
Working Group on Clean Technology Innovation and Jobs will
provide a report with options on how to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and drive innovation across all sectors to transition to a low-carbon economy, leveraging regional strengths
The plan for this working group will be delivered to
Ministers of Innovation and Economic Developmen
t.
Working Group on Carbon Pricing Mechanisms will address the particular the realities of each region and of Canada's Indigenous peoples and Arctic and sub-Arctic regions - The plan for this working group will be delivered to both the Ministers of Finance and the Counsel of Ministers of the Environment.
Working Group on Specific Mitigation Opportunities will focus on large industrial emitters, transportation, electricity generation and transmission, built environment, agriculture and forestry, and government operations as well as individual energy conservation actions. The plan will be overseen and delivered to the
Counsel of Ministers of the Environment.
Working Group on Adaptation and Climate Resilience
to focus on
adaptation to the impacts of climate change, support affected communities and build greater climate resilience.
The plan will be overseen and delivered to the
Counsel of Ministers of the Environment.
There is be an ongoing initiative that will provide continuity for the work underway to support the Canadian Energy Strategy.
Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Technology and Innovation
that will be the responsibility of the Ministers of the Environment.
5. How will it be done:
The work will be done by teams made up of provincial, territorial and federal representatives and the
plans they propose will be made public.
The plans must be delivered in the Fall of 2016 when the First Ministers will reconvene
Canada's First Ministers issued a joint communiqué following the First Ministers' Meeting and released a declaration on clean growth and climate change. You can
read it here.
