The Impact of Canadian Laws and Policies on Climate Change

The Impact of Canadian Laws and Policies on Climate Change
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The Impact of Canadian Laws and Policies on Climate Change
Introduction Climate change in Canada experienced through global warming, glacial melting, and forest fires calls for concern and changes by the government, and especially through legal framework. Carbon emissions in Canada require reductions through which government regulates producers and distributors through laws and policies to prevent further damage to the climate. On a legal framework, Canada has laws and policies such as the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA) of 2018, focusing on mitigating the effects of production and manufacturing activities that produce greenhouse gases. Since its enactment in 2018, the target of seeing carbon emissions reduced significantly has not been achieved, thus, making the law inappropriate for the strict regulation required. The GGPPA law is a legal tool to regulate release of carbon emissions in Canada, however, it does not adequately provide solutions to the issue since carbon emissions are still prevalent and increasing. GGPPA vs. Greenhouse Production in Canada The GGPPA is a federal law assented to in 2018. It comprises progressive articles that outline mitigation measures for climate change to set minimum state standards for carbon pricing consistent with the Paris Agreement (Government of Canada, 2018). The law was upheld by the Canadian Supreme Court in March 2021 after numerous appeals, which means the Canadian government had the go ahead to implement it for GHG regulation (Wright, 2021). The GGPPA has a wide scope, encompassing transportation, oil and gas, industrial, and residential development, with goal reductions ranging from 33-38% cuts for oil and gas, and 64 percent for buildings and local communities through enhanced building efficiency and retrofit models (Pries, 2021). It underlines the federal carbon charge as the price paid for every ton of greenhouse gas produced. As of January 1, 2019, the law established a price on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions applicable to Canada’s provinces and territories. It sets the lowest charges in 2019 at C$20 per ton, rising yearly by C$10 every ton, with the highest fine being C$50 per ton in 2022 (Government of Canada, 2018). Producers, importers, and distributors of carbon emissions, combustible trash, and fossil fuels must be registered and file monthly emission reports and returns. Businesses operating in these areas should expect increasing expenses in terms of GHG emissions as provinces and territories are expected to bring their GHG pricing schemes in line with federal regulations (Wright, 2021). The increasing prices will force producers and emitters to keep their output under control in order to avoid steep penalties that would decrease their net profits and earnings. Despite the federal law’s carbon charges, greenhouse gas emissions in Canada were at an all-time high in the subsequent years since the law’s inception. For instance, GHG production in 2019 was at 730 megatons, which was an increase of 0.2% from the preceding year (Government of Canada, 2021). The upward trend exists irrespective of the presence of the GGPPA, which means the distributors and producers are willing to pay the federal carbon charges to remain active and continue generating profits (Brandt, 2012). Controversy has been in the public debates as the analysts argue that the carbon pricing law is more of an income generating technique for governments as opposed to being a regulatory framework to reduce carbon emissions (Doblanko, 2021). A case scenario occurred where a natural gas production company that produced 3000 tons of greenhouse gas in 2019 was required to pay 60000 Canadian dollars, as per the GGPPA law. Thus, if its profits that same year were way above 1 million, the firm would willingly comply with the charges to ensure it remains in business. Carbon pricing that does not exceed and overwhelm the financial capacity of industries is not effective in controlling carbon emissions. MacKay et al. (2021) indicate that in the country’s oil production, manufacturing, and natural gas, methane emissions have increased over the years, with approximately a 13% rise in GHG production. These statistics depict that the law’s grip on the capitalistic producers and importers is weak and does not affect them financially. Therefore, the firms chose to invest in production and distribution for profit since penalization does not affect the firms economically. Thus, they can continue with production and comply with carbon pricing at the same time. GGPPA Drawbacks The GGPPA aims at sustainably controlling greenhouse production. However, the law seems to be facing drawbacks. The federal government expected greenhouse gas emissions in Canada to fall from 719 megatons in 2019 to 612 megatons in 2020. The nation failed to accomplish this goal because production in 2020 rose by 0.2% due to increased emissions from waste, electricity, heavy industries, agriculture, aviation, and transportation (Austen & Flavelle, 2021). The nation now risks falling behind on the sustainability agenda since the sources of greenhouse production are still in operation, and the presence of GHG is triggering havoc, including heatwaves, forest fires, and glacial melting (Cambaliza et al., 2014). Increasing gas and oil extraction, a rise in light-duty and heavy-duty diesel trucks on the roads, and escalating use of nitrogen fertilizers in the agricultural farms in the provinces offset the targets of reducing carbon emissions (Cai et al., 2015). Regardless of the reduced intensity of greenhouse emissions as of 2005, the nation’s climate change plan is at risk if the GGPPA law, does not strictly regulate the producers, importers, and distributors. As much as it penalizes the production of greenhouses, the law has a low impact on the climate agenda discussed in the Paris Agreement, which makes it u...