Engage youth to power Canada’s net-zero future
Coalition for a Better Future photo
Anne McLellan, co-chair of the Coalition for a Better Future, speaks to students during a recent Campus Tour at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business in Vancouver.
A successful transition to net zero by 2050 requires a massive, collective mobilization of governments, business, Indigenous leaders and, perhaps most crucially, youth.
At this pivotal time for our planet, we need champions from all corners. We need doers. We need believers. We need innovators. We need the power of youth.
As co-chairs of the Coalition for a Better Future, along with our campus tour sponsor Shell Canada, we have been delighted to engage students across the country on ways we can cut emissions and boost economic growth.
Some naysayers in Canada say you can’t do both. We strongly disagree.
The Coalition has pulled together a diverse group of leaders, organizations and concerned citizens, united in a commitment to use open, constructive dialogue as a catalyst for creative policy solutions.
We all know that getting to net zero means moving away from our dependence on fossil fuels. But this can’t happen overnight; it must be a pragmatic and practical process.
Energy matters, and energy security can not be taken for granted – especially when the mercury dips in the bitter cold months. The path to net zero must be pursued while ensuring a reliable and affordable supply of energy.
Oil and gas will continue to play a critical role in the energy system for years to come, with demand gradually decreasing over time. We can’t dismantle the current energy system faster than we can build the clean energy system of the future.
It is vital to ensure job-creating, economy-boosting companies across the energy sector remain strong and competitive at every stage of the transition. We can’t solve the climate crisis by creating an economic crisis.
That said, we understand the urgency is real: the increased frequency and intensity of climate-caused wildfires, floods and melting ice caps is a troubling reality.
Yet there are signs we’re on a more positive track. The Government of Canada’s first progress report on the 2030 emissions reduction plan delivered in December showed that Canada is building momentum.
According to the government’s report, in 2015 Canada was trending to exceed 2005 greenhouse gas emissions levels by nine per cent by 2030. Thanks to substantial efforts made in various sectors, Canada successfully bent the emissions curve and is now on track to meet ambitious 2030 targets.
The pace of transition will depend on action in key areas, from adopting smart government policy, to shifting customer demand and making sizable investments to support low-carbon energy.
Investors also need greater predictability, as most of those big financial decisions require many years of planning, consultation and permit approval processes.
Decarbonizing emissions to tackle climate change requires fresh thinking to identify barriers - and devising solutions to overcome them. Consumers will more quickly change to electric vehicles, for example, if that alternative is cost-effective and convenient. We need more incentives and more reliable infrastructure.
This is where we circle back to Canada’s youth being crucial to the transition; they are less entrenched in past habits and have grown up with a green mindset. And they have fresh ideas and different ways of seeing the world.
For better or worse, they will be most impacted by the results of our collective efforts. They know the stakes are existentially high, and they are invested.
Our motivated and educated youth gives Canada an edge when it comes to net zero transition. We also have the advantage of partnerships with Indigenous communities, a bounty of natural resources and a commitment to drive change by governments at all levels.
On our campus tour, we have been both enlightened and heartened by students who ask the tough questions, propose innovative solutions and take responsibility for the future health of our planet.
Canada’s youth has much to say when it comes to climate action. Policy and decision makers would be wise to listen.
