Coming Trump presidency won't alter Alberta climate plan

The results of last week's election in the United States won't alter Alberta's plan to deal with climate change, Shannon Phillips says.

"The world is much larger than one election in one country," Alberta's environment minister said Monday on a conference call from Morocco, where she is attending the United Nations'COP22summit."And the opportunities are significant throughout the globe.

"The world will be carbon-constrained regardless of one election in one country, because climate change is real."

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President-elect Donald Trump is expected to roll back many climate initiatives implemented by the Obama administration once he takes office.

He has also threatened to pull out of the Paris agreement, which was reached at last year's United Nations climate change meetings.

Phillips said the president-elect has said many things, so no one knows what actions he will actually take.

The NDP government has been hammered by the opposition over its plan to implement a $20 a tonne levy on carbon starting Jan. 1, 2017, which will increase to $30 a tonne by 2018.

Last week, Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said the fact that the U.S. won't implement a carbon tax under Trump will put Alberta at a competitive disadvantage and push jobs out of the province.

Phillips said the Alberta government's climate plan was drafted assuming the United States would keep doing business as usual on the issue.

She said the rest of the world is moving forward, and putting a price on carbon will open newinvestment opportunities for Alberta.