The Net-Zero Advisory Body, established under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act with a mandate to provide the Minister of Environment and Climate Change with independent advice with respect to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, is pleased to release its submission to inform Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan.
Our submission provides advice on specific improvements to existing federal programs and proposes new measures that the Government of Canada should consider to help achieve its 2030 target of a 40 to 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels.
The advice in this submission is grounded in the Net-Zero Advisory Body’s five foundational values and five design principles set out in our first publication, Net-Zero Pathways: Initial Observations, and is informed by our engagement, analysis and deliberations. As requested(External link) by the federal Ministers of Environment and Climate Change and Natural Resources, the Net-Zero Advisory Body’s submission also provides key guiding principles to inform the Government’s development of quantitative five-year emissions reduction targets for the oil and gas sector.
The Net-Zero Advisory Body would like to acknowledge the contributions from hundreds of individuals, businesses, governments and organizations that participated in our engagement process. The ideas and perspectives that were shared with us helped inform our thinking and advice. The Net-Zero Advisory Body will continue to engage Canadians in the months and years ahead.
Highlights
- This submission represents the Net-Zero Advisory Body’s independent advice for Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan. It is focused on the four lines of inquiry that we set for our first year: governance; buildings; transportation; and, oil and gas.
- We have identified 40 pieces of advice across our four lines of inquiry to inform federal decision-making to help reduce Canada’s GHG emissions by 40-45 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.
- Our submission also provides advice on key guiding principles to help inform the development of quantitative five-year emission reduction targets for the oil and gas sector, as requested(External link) by the federal Ministers of Environment and Climate Change and Natural Resources.
- To inform our advice, the Net-Zero Advisory Body conducted a range of engagement activities over the course of summer and fall 2021 and early 2022, including hosting briefings and roundtable discussions with a range of decision-makers and experts, including labour representatives, Indigenous organizations, oil and gas companies, and non-governmental organizations. We also received over 1,200 submissions and comments through our website.
- A summary of what was heard through the NZAB’s engagement activities will be published on our website in April 2022.
Quotes
“Canada is past the point where incremental adjustments are good enough - achieving our country’s 2030 emissions reduction target is critical after decades of missing the mark. The Net-Zero Advisory Body’s advice for Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan identifies concrete steps that the Government of Canada should take to close the gap to achieve its 2030 target, while supporting the most likely pathways for Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.”
-Dan Wicklum, Co-Chair
“We are pleased to provide our advice to Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan for 2030. The climate crisis and achieving net-zero is not just an environmental issue – it touches all parts of society. Shared leadership, where everyone contributes in their areas of decision-making and influence, is imperative to getting Canada on track to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.”
-Marie-Pierre Ippersiel, Co-Chair
Links
- Website: https://nzab2050.ca/
- Publication: Submission to Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan
- Publication: Net-Zero Pathways: Initial Observations
- Twitter: @NZAB_Canada
About
- The Net-Zero Advisory Body is a non-partisan group of experts established under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act with a mandate to provide the Minister of Environment and Climate Change with independent advice with respect to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, including greenhouse gas targets and plans to achieve the targets. The Net-Zero Advisory Body also has a mandate to engage Canadians on net-zero emissions.
Contact
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Apply now to join the Net-Zero Advisory Body
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change is inviting interested Canadians to apply to join the Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB).
The NZAB plays an important role under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act by providing independent advice to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change on how Canada can achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, including advice on interim climate targets and plans.
As a member of the NZAB, you would participate in briefings, meetings, and engagement activities to inform the development of advice for the Minister. You would actively contribute your own knowledge and perspectives while working collaboratively with other members.
NZAB members are appointed for 1 to 3 years on a part-time basis of approximately 3 to 5 days per month and are compensated for their time at rates set by the Governor in Council.
Interested candidates can apply here. Interviews will be conducted on an ongoing basis starting in August. Candidates are strongly encouraged to submit their applications at the earliest opportunity, and before September 18th. Members are selected through the Government of Canada’s open, transparent, and merit-based selection process, and are then appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. More details on Governor in Council appointments and the open, transparent, and merit-based selection process are available from the Privy Council Office.
We encourage you to consider applying and to share this message widely with your networks. The selection process for NZAB is committed to reflecting Canada’s diversity in all of its forms. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit persons with interest in and experience working on climate change are strongly encouraged to apply for appointments to the Net-Zero Advisory Body. We would also like to encourage people from Black and other racialized communities, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and youth aged 18 to 29 to apply to become members of the Net-Zero Advisory Body.
Please contact messages@pco-bcp.gc.ca with any questions about this process.
What We Heard Report 2022-2023
The Net-Zero Advisory Body is pleased to release our second What We Heard Report. This shares our engagement efforts from 2022 and 2023, and what we heard during our engagement activities during that time.
Ten overarching themes emerged from our 2022-2023 engagement:
Accountability: Culture and mechanisms for net-zero accountability need to be embedded in both public and private sectors to set and keep us on net-zero pathways.
Affordability: Net-zero policy development must consider the cost-of-living challenges facing many Canadians.
Competitiveness: Net-zero policy needs to both reduce emissions and position Canada to have a competitive and prosperous net-zero economy.
Equity: Climate policies and programs need to build stronger and more equitable communities, that respond to social, health and economic needs, while also driving emissions reductions.
Indigenous rights: Indigenous rights must be respected, including the full and meaningful implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, for all net-zero projects and pathways.
Implementation: Action is needed now to fully implement committed policies in a timely manner to achieve Canada’s ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals, and in many cases strengthen them to set us on pathways to net-zero.
People: Net-zero pathways must include greater focus on people, including Indigenous Peoples, local and racialized communities, the private sector (small-and-medium sized enterprises), workers and trade unions, as well as with youth, new Canadians, women and economically vulnerable populations.
Regional awareness: Regional differences and circumstances, including differing urban and rural needs, energy system designs, and infrastructure and workforce distribution, need to be considered during the design and implementation of net-zero policies and programs.
Transparency: Canada’s net-zero policy-making process, including the use of data and modeling, must be open and transparent.
Vision: Canada requires a clear vision on what the country’s net-zero future and energy transition looks like to drive demand and investment.
Engagement is part of NZAB’s mandate as per our Terms of Reference and the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. We view engagement as critical to cultivating the collective commitment and shared leadership across all orders of government, Indigenous Peoples, the private sector, and civil society, and to inform and drive pathways to net-zero.
NZAB looks forward to strengthening relationships with stakeholders and partners and listening to new voices and perspectives to inform its advice on independent pathways to net-zero in the months and years ahead. In particular, we recognize that Indigenous Peoples are at the forefront of both climate change impacts and climate change action. We are deeply grateful to the Indigenous partners with whom we engaged in 2022 and 2023. We acknowledge there is much more work for us to do to ensure that our advice more fully reflects Indigenous knowledge, representative perspectives, lived experiences, and leadership.
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
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.