Montreal, Canada, March 20 2023 – Today, the Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB) announced the launch of sixteen new research projects that will catalyze climate change analysis and support broader conversations on net-zero.
The funding, which amounts to close to $10 million, is being allocated through the Environmental Damages Fund’s Climate Action and Awareness Fund, administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The funded projects align with one or more of the following research themes that were identified by the NZAB:
- Defining the future systems required for net-zero;
- Obstacles on the pathways to net-zero;
- Distributional impacts of the pathways to net-zero on workers, and their families and communities;
- Motivating net-zero action.
These projects are led by Canadian think tanks, academic institutions, and other research groups and address sectoral knowledge gaps and crosscutting net-zero themes such as net-zero action in small communities, regulatory solutions for electrification of high-emitting sectors, green skills gaps for Canada’s net-zero economy, and the use of hydrogen in the net-zero energy transition.
The ultimate objective of these projects is to identify, accelerate, and evaluate mitigation actions that can help Canada achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund provided funding for these projects under its Climate Action and Awareness Fund, created in large part using the $196.5 million fine paid by Volkswagen for circumventing Canada’s environmental protection rules.
For more information on these net-zero research projects, please visit our research page.
Links(External link)
- Twitter: @NZAB_Canada(External link)
- Climate Action and Awareness Fund(External link)
- Environmental Damages Fund(External link)
Quotes
“A robust base of evidence and forward-looking research is integral to drive Canada’s progress towards net-zero by 2050. NZAB is proud of catalyzing this agenda for the Canadian net-zero research community.”
– Dan Wicklum, NZAB Co-Chair
"These research projects will spark new conversations and insights on Canada’s pathways to net-zero. The NZAB looks forward to learning from these research projects to inform our advice."
– Marie-Pierre Ippersiel, NZAB Co-Chair
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NZAB at COP28
Members from Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB) will once again be attending the 28th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, known as COP, taking place this year from 30 November until 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). NZAB is co-hosting an event at the Canada Pavilion on December 5, 2023, with the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI).
The Developing a Net-Zero Energy System Vision for all Canadians event will build on momentum from recent COP meetings where countries increasingly recognized the massive transformation required for energy systems to meet net-zero commitments.
Panels will explore the role visions can play in leading this transformation by describing credible pathways to drive collective action and discuss the opportunity for just transitions by creating visions through collaboration and principles to meet socio-political and economic objectives. Canadian and international panelists will also provide their perspectives on developing net-zero energy systems reflecting the diversity of nations’ populations.
Check out the event page for more information about this event including speakers from SevenGen Energy, the Métis Nation of Alberta, the Environment and Climate Change Youth Council, and Presidential Climate Commission of South Africa.
Don’t forget to check back here for a summary of NZAB attendance and reflections after COP28 concludes!
Links
Building Momentum Toward Net Zero
Mark your calendars! On November 9, 2023, join the Canadian Climate Institute and the Net-Zero Advisory Body for our third annual pan-Canadian climate conference: Building Momentum Toward Net Zero.
Date: Thursday, November 9, 2023, full-day conference
Last year’s conference was a huge success with more than 1,500 participants. This year’s conference promises to be just as dynamic with our great line-up of national and international speakers including:
- Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources
- Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
- Corinne Le Quéré, Chair, The High Council for Climate, France
- Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State
- Catherine Cobden, President & CEO, Canadian Steel Producers Association
- Celyeste Power, President and CEO, Insurance Bureau of Canada
- James Jenkins, Executive Director, Indigenous Clean Energy
Schedule
8:30 am Welcome and Land Acknowledgement
- Tosh Southwick, Climate Institute
- Sarah Houde, NZAB
- Elder Verna McGregor
8:45 am Latest results of NZAB and the Climate Institute’s advice and analysis
- Dan Wicklum, Co-chair, Net-Zero Advisory Body
- Rick Smith, President, Canadian Climate Institute
8:55 am Opening remarks
- Mairead Lavery, President & CEO, Export Development Canada
- Bea Bruske, President, Canadian Labour Congress
9:05 am Panel 1: Regulating Zero Emission Vehicles
- Moderator: Simon Donner, NZAB
Speakers: Brian Kingston, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers
Joanna Kyriazis, Clean Energy Canada
Katya Rhodes, University of Victoria
- Increasing the uptake of zero-emissions vehicles is key to reducing pollution from the transportation sector. This panel explores the federal government’s work to ensure 60 per cent of new light-duty vehicles are zero-emissions by 2030, en route to 100 per cent of new light-duty vehicles by 2035.
9:55 am Remarks
- The Honourable Gavin Newsom, Governor of California (video)
10:10 am Keynote: Geoffrey R. Pyatt, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources
- Introduction by Peter Nicholson, Chair, Canadian Climate Institute
- Geoffrey R. Pyatt, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources
- Interviewed by Sean Speer, Editor at Large, The Hub
10:40 am Ministers’ discussion
- Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources
- moderated by Catherine Abreu, NZAB
11:30 am Panel 2: Greening Canada’s Buildings
- Introduction by Philippe Adam, President and CEO, Pomerleau
- Moderator: Kate Harland, Climate Institute
Speakers: Bryan Flannigan, Building Decarbonization Alliance
Raegan Bond, Dunsky
Monica Gattinger, Institute for Science, Society and Policy
James Jenkins, Indigenous Clean Energy
- Climate pollution from the building sector is increasing, putting Canada at risk of missing its 2030 emissions reduction target. This panel discusses the use of policies such as the Green Building Strategy to address these rising emissions while also making new and renovated buildings more resilient to extreme weather events.
1:05 pm Video Greetings
- Crispian Olver, Executive Director, Presidential Climate Commission, South Africa
- Premier of B.C. David Eby
1:10 pm Keynote: Corinne Le Quéré, Chair, France High Council on Climate
- Introduction by Frank Marchetti, Minister-Counsellor
- Corinne Le Quéré in conversation with Éric-Pierre Champagne, La Presse
1:45 pm Panel 3: Policies for a Bigger, Cleaner, Smarter Electricity System
- Introduction by Jonathan Price, CEO, Teck
- Moderator: Sachi Gibson, Climate Institute
Speakers: Mark Jaccard, BC Utilities Commission
Francis Bradley, Electricity Canada
Laura Arnold, VP, External Affairs, Sustainability and Market Policy, TransAlta
Moe Kabbara, Transition Accelerator
- The “big switch” from fossil fuels to clean electricity is the backbone of Canada’s clean energy transition, and will require coordinated actions from all orders of government. This panel looks at how policies and regulations can decarbonize, expand, and modernize the grid to provide clean, affordable, and reliable electricity to all Canadians.
2:35 pm Panel 4: Improving Output-Based Pricing Systems in Canada
- Introduction by Catherine Cobden, President & CEO, CSPA
- Moderator: Dale Beugin, Climate Institute
Speakers: Sarah Petrevan, Cement Association
Caroline Brouillette, CAN-Rac
Michael Bernstein, Clean Prosperity
- Output-Based Pricing Systems (OBPS) create incentives for industrial emitters to reduce emissions while protecting their international competitiveness. Several provinces have their own systems; the federal backstop applies in others. This panel will discuss changes that could be made to improve the OBPS’s impact and drive emissions reductions in sectors like electricity, steel, and cement.
3:45 pm Panel 5: Implementing the National Adaptation Strategy
- Introduction by Mandy Gull-Masty, Grand Chief, Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee
- Moderator: Sarah Miller, Canadian Climate Institute
Speakers: Celyeste Power, Insurance Bureau of Canada
Erin Myers, Métis National Council
Caroline Larrivée, Ouranos
- The summer of 2023 was marked not just by unprecedented wildfires, floods, droughts, and other extreme weather events all across Canada, but also by the publication of Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy. Senior governments have historically undervalued and underinvested in climate change adaptation but with the National Adaptation Strategy the federal government has now spotlighted adaptation as a critical national priority on which it must play a leadership role. This panel discusses what needs to happen now to ensure the strategy delivers on protecting Canadians from the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.
4:35 pm Panel 6: Capping Oil and Gas Emissions
- Moderator: Dan Wicklum, NZAB
Speakers: Mark Cameron, Pathways Alliance
Chris Severson-Baker, Pembina
Sara Hastings-Simon, University of Calgary
- Scientists are clear that to avoid the worst consequences of climate change we need to attain net zero emissions by 2050 and follow a steady emissions reduction trajectory between now and 2050. This is a key reason countries must set interim reduction targets like Canada’s 2030 target. This session explores the emissions performance of the domestic oil and gas sector as it relates to global peers, in the context of meeting Canada’s 2030 target, the upcoming regulatory cap on oil and gas emissions, and future Canadian competitiveness.
5:20 pm Closing Remarks
- Elder Verna McGregor
Special Event: October 25, 2021
Canada’s Net-Zero Economy: Securing Prosperity in a Net-Zero World
A pan-Canadian conference on the risks and opportunities ahead
Key links:
Event details:
Monday, October 25, 2021, from 1pm – 5pm (ET)
Presented by:
The Net-Zero Advisory Body and The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices
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Compete and succeed in a net zero future
Concrete solutions that the Government of Canada should implement to ensure that Canada benefits from a carbon-neutral global economy, accelerates the achievement of a carbon-neutral economy and generates clean prosperity for generations to come.