{"id":81825,"date":"2020-07-28T23:28:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T23:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resourcework2.devstudio.work\/?p=81825"},"modified":"2024-11-12T00:20:37","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T00:20:37","slug":"net-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resourcework2.devstudio.work\/?p=81825","title":{"rendered":"What are the rules for Net Zero?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Overview of changes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an article here in June<\/a>, we wondered how our federal government plans to get Canada to its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. With what policy and plan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we lack practical detail, the first \u201creveal\u201d is here, in Ottawa\u2019s new \u201cStrategic Assessment of Climate Change<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ottawa\u2019s words: \u201cIt describes the greenhouse gas and climate change information that project proponents need to submit at each phase of a federal impact assessment and requires proponents of projects with a lifetime beyond 2050 to provide a credible plan that describes how the project will achieve net zero emissions by 2050.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, in the words of a story from The Canadian Press<\/em> news service: \u201cProposals for new mines, power plants, pipelines or railways in Canada will have to include plans to hit \u2018net zero\u2019 emissions by 2050 if they have any hope of getting approved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To continue that story:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnvironment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the plan will ensure Canada’s goal to exceed its Paris climate agreement targets by 2030 and then hit net zero by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Net zero\u2019 means any greenhouse gases emitted are absorbed by natural or mechanical means, rather than left to amass in the atmosphere where they contribute to global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“\u2018We made a commitment in 2015, and implemented in the last mandate, of better rules for assessing large projects,\u2019 Wilkinson said. \u2018Today what we’re doing is providing clarity to project proponents.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proposed projects from mines and power lines to wind farms, airports, and pipelines, automatically require assessments under the federal Impact Assessment Act. And the environment minister can also insist a federal assessment be done even on some projects not on that list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the new approach, the Impact Assessment Act now will, for the first time, include a project’s effect on climate change as one of the considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new assessment rules apply to new projects beginning the review process. For any project that will still be operating in 2050, a plan to get to net zero is also required. And the plan includes expansions of current approved projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, there are no details about how the new approach will be measured or enforced. We await from Ottawa a promised \u201ctechnical guide with additional detailed guidance on how to quantify a project\u2019s net and upstream GHG emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know the new rules will take into account upstream emissions (from, for example, the point of resource extraction to the project under review.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But \u201can estimate of downstream emissions is not required.\u201d (That\u2019s a change from 2017, when Ottawa moved to include downstream emissions \u2014 from potential increased consumption of oil elsewhere \u2014 from the proposed Energy East Pipeline. That project was quickly scrapped.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new approach specifies that \u201cavoided foreign emissions\u201d should not be quantified and applied to avoided domestic emissions. But \u201cproponents will have the opportunity to discuss potential impacts of their project on global GHG emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Canadian projects would be able to offset domestic emissions through buying verified offset credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question now is what will happen, under the new rules, to such projects as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n