Stronger Action Required on Climate Change, Science Policy Groups Advise Ministers

Ottawa, December 9, 1996 — Canada must take further action on climate change or it will miss out on economic opportunities and fail to meet its international obligations, two science policy groups have told Canadian energy and environment ministers.

In a submission to the ministers, the Boards of Directors of the Canadian Global Change Program of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Climate Program urged a strengthening of the current Voluntary Action Program and the development of further policies to directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The advice was delivered to federal and provincial ministers in a document titled Canada and Climate Change: Responding to Challenges and Opportunities, and will be considered as they prepare for a December 12 meeting in Ottawa to decide on future Canadian climate change policies.

In their submission, the two boards say that "a proactive climate change policy will ... maintain Canada's reputation as a leader in responding to global environmental problems and help to position Canada in the vanguard of globally competitive economies for the 21st Century."

They recommend that ministers expand and strengthen the Voluntary Challenge Program to include industries that are currently not involved, and by better publicizing commitments made by participating companies.

The boards also recommend that ministers develop financial incentives that will promote adoption of the most energy efficient technologies, provide more support for research and development aimed at increasing the share of renewable energy in Canada's total energy supply mix, and work with auto makers and the United States to develop and ensure the use of more energy efficient vehicles.

These and some other measures suggested in the submission have been called ‘no regrets' or ‘worth doing anyway' measures, where the overall social benefits outweigh the costs. The submission cautions though, that "...for economic and equity reasons, Canada, along with other countries, should go beyond that ‘worth doing anyway' potential to the extent that there are climate policy measures that would cost less than the costs associated with climate change damage."

It states that "taking the next steps should involve using the power of the marketplace to send the appropriate price signals to decision makers in the private sector, encouraging actions that will not only reduce emissions of greenhouse gases but pay double dividends in the form of additional environmental and economic benefits."

A strong climate change policy will also enhance Canada's competitiveness internationally, according to the two Boards. "Opportunities exist in areas such as small-scale distributed energy supply technologies, energy-efficient technologies that improve service while using less energy, transportation technologies, and growth management strategies that reduce the waste and air quality impacts of growing urban populations."

They emphasize that "selecting an effective long term strategy and adjusting it in the light of new scientific information should continue to be the underpinning of Canada's National Action Program on Climate Change."

The scientific basis for the advice given in the submission is the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, representing the consensus of thousands of the world's top climate scientists.

"Scientists now project that without policy intervention, average warming over the globe will continue at a mid-range rate of 0.2°C per decade," states the submission. "This rate is faster than any experienced in the past 10,000 years."

Impacts in Canada are likely to include melting of permafrost, increased insect infestation and forest fires, increased health problems related to heat and smog in southern Canada, and probably increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events.

The submission also notes that "Northern indigenous peoples, already one of the more vulnerable segments of Canadian society, would be affected by ecosystem shifts that may be outside the limits of historical experience. If these shifts occur at a rapid pace, there may be difficulties in adapting."

The Canadian Global Change Program, established in 1985 under the Royal Society of Canada, and the Canadian Climate Program Board, established in 1979, focus on the science and policy of climate change and other global change issues. Both are directed by Boards made up of scientific researchers, business leaders, educators and government officials.

For more information contact:
Karen Mortimer
Canadian Global Change Program, The Royal Society of Canada
225 Metcalfe, #308, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1P9
Tel: (613) 991-0175; Fax: (613) 991-6996; E-mail: mortimer@rsc.ca