{"id":293856,"date":"2016-06-10T19:05:44","date_gmt":"2016-06-10T23:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/2016\/06\/carbon-cents-and-sensibility-on-ontarios-climate-change-action-plan\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T15:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T19:28:11","slug":"carbon-cents-and-sensibility-on-ontarios-climate-change-action-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2016\/06\/carbon-cents-and-sensibility-on-ontarios-climate-change-action-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Carbon cents and sensibility on Ontario\u2019s climate change action plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the release of the Ontario government’s full climate action plan, we should dispel any lingering fear or uneasiness and replace it with a sense of accomplishment. Ontario is proposing is a sensible strategy to reduce emissions, one that allows the province to meet its\u00a0legislated<\/a>\u00a0emissions reduction goals \u2014 only Ontario\u2019s neighbour to the east, Quebec, has anything similar to Ontario\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

Ontario\u2019s climate advantage began in 2014, with the shuttering of the last coal plant in the province. Considered the biggest environmental action to date in North America, this enabled the province to slash its emissions by approximately\u00a034 megatonnes<\/a>. This action, together with policies and programs that incentivize renewable energy projects, have made Ontario the most substantial investor in clean energy in the country \u2014 more than $12.8 billion<\/a>\u00a0between 2010 and 2014. Perhaps it is not surprising, then, to hear Alberta making similar commitments \u2014 to eliminate coal and increase renewable power generation \u2014 as part of its climate leadership plans.<\/p>\n

Ontario\u2019s plan contains the sorts of things that excite climate experts: the use of public money to leverage private investments in clean energy (while protecting the taxpayer from risk) through the establishment of a \u201cgreen bank\u201d; low-carbon fuel standards; electric vehicle incentives and charging stations; and money for energy efficiency and retrofits for homes and businesses. What this plan doesn\u2019t propose is that we kick the fossil fuel habit any time soon: \u00a0perhaps surprisingly, data from the\u00a0Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project<\/a>\u00a0supports that call.<\/p>\n

Created as a roadmap for countries to reform their economies by 2050 to dramatically reduce the negative effects of climate change, the Pathways Project still\u00a0predicts that<\/a>\u00a0natural gas (with carbon capture and storage), coal and oil \u00a0will continue to be present in Canada\u2019s energy mix \u2014 for electricity generation, some heat and industrial processes, and heavy duty transport. \u00a0 At least in the short term, Ontario has, accepted this reality and hasn\u2019t proposed a radical shift away from fossil fuels, choosing instead to boost lower-carbon options. It is embarking on an energy transition, not a revolution.<\/p>\n

And why shouldn\u2019t it?\u00a0Ontario has the largest and fastest-growing clean-tech sector in Canada \u2014 in its\u00a0Climate Change Strategy,<\/a> the Ontario government touts that 36 percent of the nation\u2019s clean-tech companies with proprietary technologies\u00a0are in Ontario.<\/p>\n

Yes, climate action is about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but this isn\u2019t just about inflicting pain with regulatory sticks. Ontario has shown it can also be achieved through the strategic use of carrots, with programs that build on its record investments in clean energy and clean technologies, and leverages that expertise to create cost-savings for homeowners and businesses alike.<\/p>\n

This is the kind of carbon cents and sensibility we should be aiming for, and Ontario\u2019s climate action plan hits the mark.<\/p>\n

Photo: Shutterstock \/ Matej Kastelic<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Do you have something to say about the article you just read? Be part of the<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Policy Options\u00a0<\/em>discussion, and send in your own submission. Here is a<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>link<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>on how to do it. |\u00a0Souhaitez-vous r\u00e9agir \u00e0 cet article ? <\/em>Joignez-vous aux d\u00e9bats d\u2019<\/em>Options politiques\u00a0<\/em>et soumettez-nous votre texte en suivant ces<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>directives<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the release of the Ontario government’s full climate action plan, we should dispel any lingering fear or uneasiness and replace it with a sense of accomplishment. Ontario is proposing is a sensible strategy to reduce emissions, one that allows the province to meet its\u00a0legislated\u00a0emissions reduction goals \u2014 only Ontario\u2019s neighbour to the east, Quebec, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":913,"featured_media":293854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[],"class_list":["post-293856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCarbon cents and sensibility on Ontario\u2019s climate change action plan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2016\/06\/carbon-cents-and-sensibility-on-ontarios-climate-change-action-plan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Carbon cents and sensibility on Ontario\u2019s climate change action plan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With the release of the Ontario government’s full climate action plan, we should dispel any lingering fear or uneasiness and replace it with a sense of accomplishment. 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