Energy Policy

COP20

Why You Can Only Sometimes Trust a COP

As you’ve surely heard, COP21 will be taking place soon in Paris, like a high-speed electric train of acronyms. Oh, the acronyms. The UNFCCC – that’s the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – sure does love its acronyms. COP, by the by, stands for Conference of the Parties, […]

Canadian Flag

Canada and COP: a History

In 1992, Canada joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) along with 153 other nations. By 1994 the agreement became official with currently a universal membership with 195 Parties. As a signatory, Canada is part of the Conference of Parties (COP) and annually participates in their sessions […]

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Local Heroics

With Kyoto’s deadlines looming, Canada faces the likelihood that we will not reach our targets of reducing emissions to six percent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. And Canada is not alone. A number of European countries, Japan and New Zealand are realizing that their emissions continue to rise […]

Elizabeth May

Leader, Envoy, Minister? Voters want expanded role for May

The most heated that MP Justin Trudeau ever got in the House of Commons was on the matter of who gets to go to the UN climate conference. When former Conservative Minister of Environment Peter Kent chided former NDP Deputy Leader Megan Leslie for not attending the conference in Durban, […]

United Against Enbridge

Day 6: Judges left to decide fate of Enbridge

The sixth and final day of the Enbridge hearing was as charged and exciting as the first. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) was up first to make submissions on whether or not the Enbridge pipeline is in the ‘public interest’. Neither Canada nor Northern Gateway made submissions on […]

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Day 5: Northern Gateway seeks to defend the “gold standard” review process

Day 5 of 6. A core group of concerned community members persisted in the courtroom and listened intently to the dynamic exchanges between the judges and counsel for the Respondents. The judges started the day by addressing Northern Gateway’s last minute attempt to introduce fresh evidence. The judges unanimously rejected […]