Net zero by 2050, an ever-receding target?

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
May 30, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Progress on the energy transition in Canada is highly fragmented, with provinces like Quebec doing more, according to a new provincial report card published by Clean Energy Canada. Another new report, published by Clean Prosperity, suggests Canada’s net zero targets can’t be met without substantial amounts of nuclear power. Meanwhile, the Fraser Institute published an essay by Canadian energy expert Vaclav Smil that puts the chances of industrialized economies like Canada achieving net zero targets by 2050 at close to zero. …The report card gives Quebec an A grade. B.C. gets a B grade. …Alberta and Saskatchewan both received a D. Ontario is middle of the pack, with a C grade. …In its report, Clean Energy Canada appears to have a bias against nuclear power. Clean Prosperity’s report says nuclear power will be crucial. …The chance of any country achieving net zero by 2050 is “highly unlikely,” Vaclav Smil says in the Fraser Institute essay.

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