Our Climate Action Journey

We want to address some of the concerns that you raised in Canada’s ability to move away from its reliance on fossil fuels. As you read on, you will learn more about our ability to grow the clean energy sector to meet our day-to-day needs in the next decade.

1. Flying past Fort McMurray in Alberta one can see a vast network of “ponds” covering an area 2.6 times the size of Vancouver. These industry-made waste reservoirs contain the toxic by-products of oil extraction from the tar sands. Living near them is harmful to Indigenous communities downstream and to the broader ecosystem. Two recent disasters at Imperial Oil’s facility clearly show that as long as oil production continues in the tar sands, this toxic threat is real and growing.

A leak of over 5.3 million litres - enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools - took place this January. After that incident, downstream Indigenous nations were told about an additional disastrous leak from the same facility, one that had been ongoing for nine months.

These are not isolated incidents. The decades-long oil sands industrial project by multi-billion-dollar oil corporations represents an ongoing attack on Indigenous lands, cultures and health, negatively impacting not only the air and water, but also the food and traditional medicine of over a dozen communities. Our recent webinar “Water knows no boundaries: releasing toxic tailings won’t either”, co-hosted with Keepers of The Water, explored the detrimental effects the tailing ponds have on the surrounding communities.

Jean L’Hommecourt, a Dene woman living in Fort McKay, describes her experience living downstream;“They [the tailings “ponds”] really are the destruction of our way of life and our peace of mind.” Click the image below to read Jean’s full story.

2. Other dangerous byproducts from fossil fuel are their significant contribution to climate change and air pollution. Pollution severely impacts human health and is a leading cause of premature deaths worldwide.

A report by our partners, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment on traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), highlights the environmentally-driven health impacts and disparities arising from exposure to transportation-related air pollution. In particular, it highlights the need for policies and actions to mitigate these harms. Watch this video to get more information.

As we advocate for a move away from our reliance on fossil fuels, some of you might ask “at what cost?”

3. A move away from fossil fuels can have a positive impact on our quality of life, and make life more affordable for us and our families. The energy transition will be good for our economy and it will be good for our bank accounts. 

To accelerate action to address climate change and create a healthy future where we can all afford good lives, Canada must redirect both public dollars and private investments towards climate action.

Unfortunately, Canada’s financial institutions, such as banks and pension funds, are pouring more money than ever into oil, gas, and coal. They put “net-zero” on their marketing materials, but continue to invest in climate damaging fossil fuels. In addition, the federal government missed an opportunity in Budget 2023 to keep its promise to end fossil fuel subsidies and has not yet set rules to ensure Canada’s financial sector will align with its climate commitments.

We have an opportunity to create a safe climate and stable economy by reducing the money that flows into fossil fuels (including false solutions like carbon capture and storage) and instead directing our banks and pension dollars to invest in effective climate solutions like renewable energy.

Investing in a clean future should be easy for individuals - we shouldn’t have to debate with our bank to find fossil free investment solutions. That’s why we’re advocating for the federal government to pass policies that require all Canadian financial institutions to align their lending and investments with climate action.

You can sign up here to learn more about our climate and sustainable finance work, and stay in the loop on how Canada can establish rules to align our financial systems with a safe climate.

As we shift investments away from fossil fuels, one important investment for reducing both carbon emissions and household costs is investing in more affordable and efficient energy systems in our buildings and homes.

Part 2 of our video with Efficiency Canada (the leading voice in Canada on efficiency) continues a conversation with Abhilash Kantamneni and Yasmin Abraham of Alberta-based Kambo Energy. They discuss Kambo Energy’s “Empower Me” program, which focuses on energy plans and education in energy efficiency and energy savings, designed for newcomer households and communities. Click here to watch the interview:

4. We all benefit from moving away from polluting industries. But as our industries and economy change to address the climate crisis, we also need a plan for workers and communities who will be directly impacted. This includes those who have been historically marginalized or excluded from economic opportunities. 

It’s not fair to let certain workers and communities get hurt by this transition that can benefit all of us. Workers reliant on jobs in polluting industries must have a say in their future and be given the chance to find good jobs and build thriving communities in a low-carbon economy. In other words, Canada must invest in the people who will build our clean economy. 

Recently, Canada released a “Sustainable Jobs Action Plan”. It includes many of Environmental Defence’s and labour organizations’ recommendations for a fair transition strategy, such as a commitment to include affected parties in decision making and references the importance of workers’ rights, Indigenous rights, and equity.

5. However, for this plan to be credible and future-ready, it must be backed by dedicated funding and strong legislation so that people have real confidence the government will deliver on its promise. 

Workers and communities need to know what the future holds for them. You can help us tell the Federal government to pass legislation that responds to the transition taking place. Sign our letter to tell the federal government what a fair transition should look like.

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released in March confirms that we need to take immediate steps to move toward a climate safe future. We are steadily approaching 1.5 degrees – but fortunately the energy transition is underway now around the world and we have a chance and an obligation to lead it.

Here in Canada, renewable energy is now the most cost-effective way to power our society. Plus the renewable energy industry is growing. Clean Energy Canada predicts that clean energy jobs are expected to grow 7% per year adding over 700,000 new jobs by 2050. This will greatly eclipse the employment in the fossil fuel industry. 

Canada (and the world) are ready to embrace the cost-effective climate change solutions, available now, that will make our lives better, healthier and more affordable. Let’s be part of this journey by demonstrating that we support climate action in Canada.

In solidarity,

The team at Environmental Defence