State-of-Play in Canadian Federal and Provincial Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

A commentary by Dave Sawyer outlining Canada's progress with respect to mitigating GHG emissions, potential impacts by 2020, and the costs of reductions.

The commentary notes that newly released draft regulations for coal-fired electricity plants will deliver about 5 megatonnes (Mt) of GHG reductions in 2020, climbing higher thereafter. Costs to emitters are likely manageable around CAD$25 per tonne, which is in line with the current carbon costs under the European Union's GHG trading program and with the coal electricity regulations under development in the United States. Sawyer argues that while there is still much work to do, Canada is finally moving on domestic GHG policy.