The challenge of meeting Canada's greenhouse gas reduction targets

摘要

In 2007, the Government of Canada announced its medium and long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction plan entitled Turning the Corner, which proposed emission cuts of 20% below 2006 levels by 2020 and 60% to 70% below 2006 levels by 2050. A Canadian government advisory organization, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), determined the feasibility of these targets and recommended both taxation and technical means to address them. NRTEE's technical report, Achieving 2050: A carbon pricing policy for Canada, presented a set of "fast and deep" pathways to emissions reduction through the large-scale electrification of the Canadian economy.This paper examines the likelihood of the "fast and deep" pathways being met by considering the technical report's proposed energy systems, their associated energy sources, and the magnitude of the changes. The paper also questions the decision to omit non-electrical replacement solutions such as district heating, solar heating, and wind heating.