n away from coal, a few major battles remain. Nova Scotia is making an effort to limit its coal emissions and reach its target of 40 per cent renewable energy share by 2020, but expects to see significant coal reliance for years to come. Neighbouring New Brunswick has a single, large plant at Belledune responsible for 38 per cent of that province’s carbon emissions — and has no plans to close it until 2043.
After Alberta, Saskatchewan is Canada’s most coal-powered province with over 1,500 megawatts of capacity. Saskatchewan has applied carbon capture and storage (CCS) to its oldest operating unit, Boundary Dam 3. This costly technology — along with other pollution controls — could allow coal to continue to supply electricity with lower emissions and impacts on human health. But there’s one simple truth about CCS: we simply can’t afford to continue hoping it will eventually develop into an effective, safe and economic option for keeping coal on our power grids, blowing our carbon budgets in the meantime. Canada should join a growing number of countries in setting a firm deadline for “clean coal” to prove to be a reality.
Renewable energy on the rise
After the strong commitments made by Canada and 195 other nations at the United Nations climate change conference in Paris, coal’s international standing is clearly on the chopping block. The world’s economic bulls are aligning behind thriving and growing renewable energy businesses. A recent study from Duke University shows that between 2008 and 2012, the U.S. coal industry shed more than 49,000 jobs, while renewable energy created nearly 200,000.
Hot on the heels of the Paris Agreement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s premiers are set to move forward with a pan-Canadian approach to climate change. As political leaders sit down to work out the details of a national climate strategy today, we expect an accelerated phase-out of coal-fired electricity to be on their agenda.
Coal’s days are numbered. With already available alternatives we can improve our health and reduce our contribution to climate change sooner rather than later. It is clear coal is the past and renewable energy is the future. Join us in telling our governments it is time to phase out dirty coal in Canada.
Ed Whittingham is executive director of the Pembina Institute and Peter Robinson is chief executive officer of the David Suzuki Foundation.