Conservation council says New Brunswick lags in climate change action

Dr. Louise Comeau of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick says the province is not doing very well when it comes to climate action.

"We are lagging on most fronts," said the council's director of climate change and energy solutions.

Comeau said while she doesn't want to be too negative, she wants to be realistic on where N.B. is starting from compared to other provinces.

Climate change will affect us all regardless of whether we're a big contributor to the problem or not.- Louise Comeau

She told Shift New Brunswick that N.B.'s rating on improving efficiencies in building and transportation, moving coal from electricity or investing in carbon pricing have not moved very strongly compared to other provinces.

"But I say yet because I think the province is getting ready to do so. The select committee report will be out soon, environment ministers will meet in Montreal on Monday to finalize some of their options that they want to put forward to premiers and the prime minister and I think the province will have a climate plan that will include carbon pricing and stringent actions on the electricity side."

Monday meeting

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment will meet Oct. 3 to approve options that were developed by four federal-provincial working groups. The options are to meet commitments made in Paris at the United Nations Climate Conference in December 2015.

Comeau said there is not a consensus across Canada on how to move forward on climate change with strong opposition from some provinces on how carbon pricing should roll out.

Comeau said the options from each province will go forward and it's understood the environment ministers will agree on a framework that will then guide the final negotiations between the premiers and prime minister.

"With something so important as this, this is exactly the level that a is needed and bis going to negotiate the final outcome."

Because the province does not have a plan for climate action, it could be subject to incremental greenhouse gas reductions.

Top 5

New Brunswickis listed in the top five per capita emission emitters in Canada in 2014 with the three highest emitter sectors being electricity, transportation and oil and gas.

The report, The Race to the Front: Tracking Pan-Canadian Climate Progress and Where We Go from Here said 31 per cent of electricity emissions in N.B. come from burning coal, oil, and natural gas to generate electricity at Belledune and Coleson Cove and from plants supplying electricity through power purchase agreements.

The report said the province should accelerate its phase-out of coal-fired power so it can meet the 40 per cent renewable generation target by 2020.

Comeau said the other areas of reduction will come from modernizing industrial processes to be less polluting.

"Climate change will affect us all regardless of whether we're a big contributor to the problem or not," said Comeau.

"The global changes that are coming in terms of shifting the energy system and our economies to be more clean and green will affect us whether we like it or not."