Ottawa not tracking impact of individual emission reduction policies: environment commissioner
Ottawa also falling behind on tree planting pledge, audit says
The federal government isn't measuring how effective its policies are in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, says a report released Thursday by the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development.
The commissioner's spring reports also took Ottawa to task for falling behind on its pledge to plant two billion trees by 2031, and for failing to adequately protect species at risk of extinction.
Commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco said in his audit that Environment and Climate Change Canada's failure to assess policies could undermine Canada's efforts to fight climate change. DeMarco's report focused on five regulations meant to reduce emissions from cars and trucks, power plants and oil and gas production.
"Without comprehensive impact information, the federal government does not know whether it is using the right tools to sufficiently reduce emissions to meet its target," DeMarco said in a news release.
DeMarco didn't mince words on the government's approach to the environment and sustainability at a news conference Thursday following the release of the reports.
"Our past audits show that Canada has failed to meet many of its climate and biodiversity targets, and I'm extremely concerned that without a significant shift in approach, this trend will continue," DeMarco told reporters.
"With these most recent reports, the list of failures grows longer yet again."
WATCH | Environment commissioner says he is 'frustrated and disappointed' with Canada's emissions 'track record'
The Trudeau government has set a target of reducing GHG emissions by 40 to 45 per cent of 2005 levels and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The government's latest emissions data shows that Canada emitted 670 million megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2021, which was up slightly from 2020 but below pre-pandemic levels.
The commissioner's review found Environment and Climate Change Canada relies on a broad modelling approach to determine whether its efforts to reduce emissions are working, and as a result couldn't evaluate the efficiency of many individual regulations.
The report said it's particularly troubling that the government doesn't know how much efforts to reduce methane emissions are contributing to emissions reductions.
"This is worrying because methane has 25 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period," the report says.
"We found large sources of methane emissions were unaccounted for in inventories and not covered by any existing regulations."
The report says that when the commissioner's office conducted an analysis of certain policies, it found mixed results. It said measures to reduce emissions in power generation met their goals but some measures to reduce vehicle emissions fell short — partly because increased emissions from large vehicles like school buses and dump trucks counteracted emissions reductions from smaller vehicles.
DeMarco said that while the government does set initial projections on its emissions regulations, it has the tools to evaluate the regulations year-over-year and should start using them.
"We say this in the context of 30 years of [the federal government] missing every target," DeMarco told the news conference.
"'Just trust us, it will all add up' doesn't work until they actually start showing that they're able to meet a target."
Environment minister defends government record
Reacting to DeMarco's report on Thursday, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault defended his government's record on fighting climate change.
Guilbeault said decreasing dependence on coal for electricity, investments in clean energy and electric vehicle sales in Canada are cutting GHG emissions. He added that the government's latest emissions data, released last week, were not included in DeMarco's analysis.
"We're tracking the largest emission reduction among G7 countries since 2019," Guilbeault said at a news conference.
"When we look at Canada's falling emissions profile, regulatory measures continue to be a major factor."
Guiltbeault said he accepts DeMarco's recommendation that the government do a better job of reporting on how well regulations are working.
"We continue work to refine our reporting. In the meantime, as they say, the proof is in the pudding," Guilbeault said
"We're improving every year, but we won't stop fighting climate change while we figure out reporting methodologies."
Government stumped on tree planting goal
DeMarco said in a separate report Thursday that the government is unlikely to meet its goal of planting two billion trees by 2030 unless it makes big changes to the program.
The audit found that while the program nearly met its 2021 tree planting goal of planting 30 million trees, it didn't come close to its 2022 of planting 60 million trees. The program is lagging behind by about 45 million trees. Government departments also could not provide the commissioner with clear information on the relationship between forests and GHG emissions.
"I must stress how important it is that we do not give up and that we, instead, change course to successfully implement solutions such as the 2 Billion Trees Program and also work to get a full picture of how our forests affect greenhouse gas emissions," DeMarco said in a news release.
The program is the result of a Liberal promise in the 2019 federal election campaign.
DeMarco said much of the shortfall is due to a lack of partnerships on tree planting between the federal government and provinces, as well as other potential partners outside government.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Thursday the government has made significant progress on partnerships since October 2022, the end of the time period the report covers.
"Since that date, we have signed contribution agreements with six provinces and territories, and over 50 additional agreements with other partners under which millions of trees are being planted," Wilkinson said in an email statement.
"Provincial and territorial collaboration is critical to the success of the 2BT program as the commissioner has said, and we continue to work diligently in this area."
Wilkinson added the government is consulting with experts and has also appointed a panel to oversee the program.
DeMarco also criticized the government's lack of action on species at risk of extinction. His audit found that of 520 species labelled at risk since 1982, 80 per cent had either no change in status or had entered a higher risk category.
"While trees can be replanted, extinct species do not magically come back to life," DeMarco said.
Laurel Collins, the NDP's environment and climate change critic, said the reports show the government needs to take more aggressive action on climate change and sustainability.
"New Democrats are urging Minister Guilbeault and his Liberal colleagues to immediately redesign the 2 Billion Trees program to meet climate targets and restore wildlife habitats, and to use all their powers to protect wildlife and meet emission targets," she said in a media statement.
With files from The Canadian Press
