About The Report:
While the provincial government has, on occasion, spoken about the need to fight climate change, it has offered inadequate solutions that it has failed to support with evidence, followed by little action to actually tackle the province’s greenhouse gas emissions – Canada’s second highest. Over the course of the last four years, Ontario has gone from being one of the leading provinces taking action on climate change to becoming a climate pretender.
Despite recent claims, Ontario is not on track to reach its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target – a target that is far too weak and does not reflect serious climate action.
Four Years Of Ontario’s Climate Change (In)Action
The report details Ontario’s poor record on climate change, highlighting how the Ontario government:
● Cancelled the previous government’s cap-and-trade program and the many emissions reduction programs it funded
● Lost its legal challenge of carbon pricing at the Supreme Court
● Paid out hundreds of millions of dollars when it cancelled over 750 renewable power projects
● Failed to follow through on the province’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan
● Is failing to support its claims that Ontario will reach its weak emissions reduction target
● Lacks adequate plans to address the province’s two largest sources of emissions: transportation and buildings
Five Actions Ontario Can Take To Tackle Climate Change
Ontario has ample capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here are five things that can be done to tackle emissions from the major sectors of the province’s economy:
● Adopt a stronger emissions reduction target in line with Ontario’s fair share
● Ratchet up Ontario’s approach to industrial emitters to make polluters pay
● Cancel plans to build new highways and invest in public transit and provide real supports for electric vehicle adoption
● Adopt a net-zero building code and drive emissions reductions from buildings
● Phase out the use of gas for electricity by 2030