Environmental Defence

Carbon capture’s questionable numbers spell concern for Canada’s hydrogen plans

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says a new report from the International Energy Agency vindicates the government’s climate progress, but he adds more must be done to decarbonize.

Natural Resources Canada is tweaking its onshore emissions reduction fund in the wake of scathing reports from the federal climate watchdog that found the program amounted to little more than a fossil fuel subsidy.

The cabinet ministers’ mandate letters published last week hint at a whole-of-government approach to tackling the climate crisis, but the devil will be in the details, many environmentalists say.

A report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer finds Ottawa’s tax breaks to the fossil fuel sector are leaving nearly $2 billion on the table each year in lost revenue.

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said on Friday, November 26, 2021, a pandemic aid program to help oil and gas companies cut their methane emissions will be revisited now that the industry is back on its feet.

Canada may be able to climb down from its perch of being the worst among the G20 for international support for fossil fuels after signing on to a key energy financing plan at COP26.

A global coalition of private companies called Green Hydrogen Catapult is on a mission to scale up green hydrogen production and lower production costs so it is competitive with fossil fuels.

Thursday was a big day for Canada at COP26 — the country pledged to end foreign fossil fuel finance by 2022 and Quebec signed on to the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance — but observers are disappointed the country isn’t moving faster to ditch the planet’s dirtiest fossil fuel: coal. 

The groups behind the push say the federal government's current promise of ending exports by 2030 isn't soon enough to keep global warming below 1.5 C.

The breakdown found the producers’ plans are set to accelerate the climate crises and hinder the Paris Agreement goal of keeping warming to below 1.5 C.

Speaking from COP26 in Glasgow, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lamented Lytton, the British Columbia town reduced to ash this summer, warning other countries it could happen anywhere.

Newly minted Climate Minister Steven Guilbeault is “cautiously optimistic” about the success of upcoming United Nations talks, he said at a press conference Friday.

Environmental groups are calling on the federal government to step in after oilsands tailing ponds grew by 90 million cubic metres in 2020 despite a drop in oil production, according to a report released last week by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). 

Canada is committing to slashing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector as part of a global effort to curb the powerful greenhouse gas.