Sep. 7th, 2020

Canada’s Climate Fair Share

The Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change acknowledge the importance of equity in implementing a global response to the climate crisis. This recognizes that while addressing climate change is a shared responsibility of all countries, each country bears a different degree of responsibility for causing the problem and thus for contributing to the solution. It also recognizes that countries’ different levels of economic development are a factor in their capacity to address the climate crisis. Considering these factors allows us to develop a fair share analysis of each country’s contribution to addressing climate change.

Under the Paris Agreement, Canada has committed to a target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. However, analysis of its fair share reveals that Canada needs to reduce emissions by at least 140% below 2005 levels. To meet this target, domestic GHG emissions need to be cut by at least 60% below 2005 levels by 2030, with a plan to fully decarbonize the economy to achieve net zero domestic emissions by 2050. The rest (80%) needs to be achieved through global climate financing to reduce GHG emissions in the Global South. Support to countries in the Global South must also address adaptation. Under the Parish Agreement, high income countries commit to deliver US$100 billion annually in climate financing to support the adaptation and mitigation needs of low-income countries. Canada’s fair share of this amount is at least $4 billion US by 2020.