Trudeau promises to slash emissions by up to 45 per cent by 2030 after Biden pledges 50 per cent

The new U.S. target nearly doubles former President Barack Obama's pledge of an emissions cut of 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025

Canada plans to slash its greenhouse gas emissions faster than first promised – by 40-45% from 2005 levels by 2030, Trudeau said today.

The new target is higher than the 36 per cent reduction the government says it can achieve under existing measures by 2030, and the 30 per cent goal Canada initially agreed to under the Paris Agreement.

Trudeau announced the higher target during a virtual climate summit of world leaders convened by United States President Joe Biden, who pledged to cut his country’s emissions by 50 to 52 per cent by 2030.

“If major economies in the room were to follow Canada’s lead and adopt a rising price on pollution and commit to phase out coal plants, we would accelerate our global path for a safe, prosperous net-zero future,” Trudeau said in a short address.

Canada’s new target falls short of the minimum 50- 60 per cent reduction climate groups and opposition parties said was needed to limit global warming to 1.5 C degrees.

Ahead of the summit, seven environmental groups released a report with modelling that said to limit global warming to 1.5 C degrees compared to pre-industrial levels, Canada should double the 30 per cent commitment it signed in the Paris Agreement.

Clean Prosperity, a climate policy organization, has said it could see Canada adopt a new target of between 40 to 50 per cent in recognition of the economic challenges around a clean energy transition and people employed in the fossil fuel sector.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh expressed concerns about the Liberals keeping their climate promises on Wednesday.

“I am concerned that the Liberals will set a target and not meet it, and that’s why we’ve been saying we need better accountability,” Singh said.

In a letter to Liberal Environment and Climate Change Minster Jonathan Wilkinson, Singh called for the government to adopt a 50 per cent goal, while the Greens say it should be 60.

Conservative environment critic Dan Albas touted his own party’s new climate plan, which for the first time contains a consumer carbon price.

That pledge while a third higher than the Paris Agreement, is far below goals set by the British government earlier this week and targets set by the United States and the European Union.

– Britain pledged: 78% cut from 1990 levels by 2035

– U.S. promised: 52% cut from 2005 levels

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https://nationalpost.com/news/world/biden-pledges-to-halve-u-s-emissions-by-2030-almost-double-obamas-goal-for-2025