Ontario gets F on efforts to address climate change

NRU
July 16, 2014

Provincial environmental commissioner Gord Miller reports that Ontario is falling short in its efforts to slow the pace of climate change.

Released July 9, his report on the province’s progress in reducing greenhouse gases and meeting provincial Climate Change Action Plan reduction targets notes that little action is being taken to prevent the kinds of extreme weather events being witnessed around the world.

The report notes that Ontario’s over-reliance on carbon-based fuels for cars and trucks will make it impossible for the province to reach the actions plan’s 2007 goal of reducing transportation emissions by 19 megatonnes by 2020.

Currently, there are no government-initiated disincentives in place in Ontario to discourage consumption of oil and natural gas. Miller notes that issuing directives to ensure more compact urban development and establishing a commitment to using electricity for transportation could have a significant impact on reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, but the province is not considering these options.

A full copy of the report, Looking for Leadership: The Costs of Climate Inaction can be downloaded here.