How does the Alberta climate change action plan align with the federal plan?
The Government of Canada has announced a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent from 2006 levels by 2020 (about 3% below 1990 levels). Scientific evidence indicates that industrialized countries must reduce emissions by at least 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020 to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report – Summary for Policymakers. http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf). While Canada’s federal emissions reduction target is not adequate to meet this challenge, Alberta’s plan does not even come close to meeting this already unambitious target. The Alberta plan allows for emissions to grow by as much as 45% over 1990 levels by 2020.
