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Climate
Change Programme
Climate change is one
of the most serious environmental challenges facing the planet. Excessive
burning of fossil fuels is leading to climate change impacts that could have
serious negative affects for freshwater supply, food production, coastline
communities and wildlife habitats as well as human health and economic
development. There is a global effort underway to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Under the Kyoto Protocol, Canada’s target is to reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions to 6% below 1990 levels, on average by 2008-2012.
Scientists estimate that the global community will need to reduce its
emissions by about 25-30% by 2020 and by more than 50% by 2050 in order to
avoid the most dangerous impacts.
Pollution Probe’s
Climate Change Programme activities are designed to help
Canada achieve its current and future climate change targets. The following
highlights some of these activities.
Renewable Energy
Canada
needs to maximize its development of renewable sources of energy, such as
wind, solar, small hydro, biomass and geothermal power. Pollution Probe has
invested considerable effort in promoting the development of Green Power.
For the
Green Power Project,
Pollution Probe conducted a national workshop series on the potential
for Green Power to meet Canada’s electricity needs, as well as provincial
workshops. It has produced several publications including
A Green Power Vision and
Strategy for Canada and
The Primer on the Technologies of
Renewable Energy.
Pollution Probe has
also developed "A Consumer Guide to Green Power in Canada", a
web-based guide for consumers who are interested in purchasing Green Power
to meet their electricity needs and supporting its development.
Transportation
The transportation
sector is responsible for about one-quarter of Canada’s greenhouse gas
emissions, which makes it critical that we make substantial reductions in
this sector. Pollution Probe has several activities directed towards
reducing the use of motor vehicles and improving their fuel efficiency. This
can have the added benefit of reducing smog pollutants and mercury.
The
Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Project
is working towards the establishment of national standards for motor vehicle
fuel efficiency and has produced a comprehensive report on the
subject, Greenhouse
Gas Emissions and Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Standards for Canada.
Pollution Probe
is also working towards the implementation of complementary measures to
shift consumer demand towards the purchase of more fuel efficient vehicles,
including having conducted a workshop on
Complementary Measures.
For further
information on transportation-related initiatives, see the
Air Programme and the Primers on
Smog and
Mercury.
Forest Carbon Management
Some approaches to forest management can remove carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. Pollution Probe convened a series of
national workshops, in 2001-2002, to help determine how this could be
achieved in Canada. The workshops were followed by an initiative to develop
a set of pilot projects on forest carbon management.
Canadian Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Assessment
Dr.
Quentin Chiotti, Pollution Probe’s Air Programme Director, is co-authoring
the Ontario Chapter for this significant report
assessing the implications of climate change for different sectors.
Other Climate Change
Activity
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Climate Change and Human Health
– Pollution Probe has
worked in partnership with health organizations to explore the relationship
between climate change and human health and produced
A Primer on Climate
Change and Human Health.
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Emissions Trading
– Emissions trading
offers a more cost-effective approach to dealing with pollution, if it is
supported by a good regulatory framework. Pollution Probe has done
considerable work in evaluating the use of this tool to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and other air pollutants, and has produced the
Emissions Trading
Primer.
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Greenhouse Gas Reporting Systems
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Pollution Probe has
been actively engaged in the development of standards for greenhouse gas
reporting systems at the international and national levels.
For
more information, contact:
Quentin Chiotti, Director, Climate Change Programme
and Senior Scientist
Bob Oliver,
Director, Transportation Programme
Links
Pollution Probe’s Climate Change
Publications
Pollution Probe’s Climate Change Links
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