No one left behind on the road to net zero – by Terence Corcoran (Financial Post – April 19, 2023)

https://financialpost.com/

Except, maybe, coal and China and downtown condo owners

As part of the global policy movement toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as required under the Paris Agreement signed in 2015, Canada’s target is to reduce and/or offset all greenhouse gas emissions through various methods, including “tree planting or employing technologies that can capture carbon before it is released into the air.” China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, is aiming for net zero by 2060.

How’s the global plan going so far? We turn to last weekend’s meeting of G7 ministers of climate, energy and the environment in Sapporo, Japan, which ended with a 20,000-word statement that, if nothing else, serves as an important demonstration of the high level of linguistic advocacy that propels net zero forward.

“We call for urgent and enhanced action at all levels across all sectors to achieve the transformation towards net zero, circular and nature positive economies.

We recognize the need to mobilize and implement all available measures and tools including legislations, economic and fiscal policies and market-based and voluntary approaches to realize the full potential of reducing emissions of GHGs, including methane from waste, agricultural and energy sectors, globally towards net zero by 2050, halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, mainstreaming climate-risk and nature-related risk into investment decisions and decision making, reducing pollution, and improving resource efficiency and circularity to achieve sustainable consumption and production.

For the rest of this column: https://financialpost.com/opinion/no-one-left-behind-road-net-zero