Canada needs a mix of reactive and proactive Just Transition policies across the country
“Making Decarbonization Work for Workers: Policies for a just transition to a zero-carbon economy”, by Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, is a co-publication by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Respond to Climate Change research program which was released on January 25th. In light of the federal government’s pledge to launch a Task Force on Just Transition in 2018, this report makes a unique contribution by using census data to identify the regions in each province with the greatest reliance on fossil fuel jobs. While fossil fuel dependence is overwhelmingly concentrated in Alberta, with a few “hot spots” in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, the report identifies communities from other provinces where fossil fuel jobs represent a significant part of the local economy – for example, Bay Roberts, Newfoundland; Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; Sarnia, Ontario. The author argues that, if the broad goal of a just transition is to ensure an equitable, productive outcome for all workers in the zero-carbon economy, a mix of reactive and proactive elements is necessary. Thus, a national just transition strategy is required for fossil fuel-dependent communities, but workers in any industry facing job loss and retraining costs will also need support from enhanced social security programs. In addition, governments must invest in workforce development programs to ensure there are enough skilled workers to fill the new jobs which will be created by the zero-carbon economy. Continue reading →
How Canadian universities can confront climate change: moving from greenwashing to action
Confronting Climate Change on Campus (also available in French) is a newly-released guide by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT/ACPPU). It presents a three-step plan of practical action to be followed by academic staff associations and researchers across Canada: To reduce the carbon footprint of campuses by improving building energy conservation and promoting low-carbon transportation; to expand course offerings dedicated to climate change, and to encourage climate change research through grants and awards; and to advocate for the creation of association or institutional environment committees, or work with established committees, such as collective bargaining or workplace joint health and safety committees, to push climate change concerns. And on February 6, a North American University Climate Change Coalition, was launched at the 2018 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit in Arizona. The University of Toronto and University of British Columbia are members. Continue reading →
UNISON launches a campaign for pension fund divestment with a Guide for Local Unions
On January 10, 2018, the U.K. union UNISON launched a campaign to encourage members of local government pension schemes to push for changes in the investment of their funds – specifically, to “explore alternative investment opportunities, allowing schemes to sell their shares and bonds in fossil fuels and to go carbon-free.” A key tool in this campaign: Local Government Pension Funds – Divest From Carbon Campaign: A UNISON Guide, which explains how the U.K. pension system works for local government employees, and provides case studies of existing divestment campaigns. In addition, it provides “Campaign Resources”, including a model campaign letter, a glossary of pension and investment terms, and it reproduces the Pensions and Climate Motion passed at the 2017 UNISON Delegates conference. The Guide was written by UNISON, in collaboration with ShareAction – a registered U.K. charity that promotes responsible investment practices by pension providers and fund managers. Continue reading →
Autonomous vehicles in Canada, job displacement, and bargaining at UPS
Autonomous Vehicles and the Future of Work in Canada is a report released on January 11 by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) and funded by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program. It provides an overview of the technology and benefits of autonomous vehicles, including “smart cities”. Most of the report is dedicated to an in-depth analysis of the impact of AV’s to Canada’s labour market, forecasting a demand of approximately 34,700 jobs in the industry by 2021, and considering the issues of job displacement and occupational skill requirements. The ICTC forecasts that the integration of AV technology will be slowed down in the trucking industry by a shortage of drivers (estimated by the Canadian Truckers Alliance as 34,000 by 2024), giving the industry a buffer of time to plan training and retraining strategies. The report considers non-driving occupations (including mechanics, dispatchers, auto assembly workers, insurance underwriters, heavy equipment operators) in a “deeper dive” about education, wages, and demand. But drivers are worried, according to an article in The Tyee, and the Teamsters of Canada submission to the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Transportation and Communication. In the U.S., collective bargaining between Teamsters and UPS opened in January 2018, and autonomous vehicles and drones are an issue. Continue reading →
Circular economy contributes to clean growth – but what are the implications for jobs?
Getting to a Circular Economy: A primer for Canadian policymakers was released by Smart Prosperity (formerly Sustainable Prosperity) on January 24, the first in a planned series of policy briefs and blogs on the topic. This introductory Primer starts from the widely-held premise that current global production and consumption models are unsustainable, and states that “Canadian discussion on the circular economy has been overshadowed by the national emphasis on climate change and clean growth. In fact, the two approaches have significant goals in common: a focus on a low-carbon economy and on economic growth, innovation and new technologies.” The Brief concludes by proposing “Top 6 Tools for Accelerating the Circular Economy in Canada”, including extended producer responsibility programs and policies; green procurement; and public investments in circular economy related research, development, innovation and pilots.” The Brief identifies one of the research gaps as the need to understand the social and employment impacts of the circular economy, and how to manage them. Continue reading →
Trump’s solar tariffs may impact solar jobs worldwide
Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on solar panels and washing machines on January 23 was roundly criticized on many grounds – most frequently, the impact on jobs in the solar industry, as stated in the New York Times Editorial on January 23, “Mr. Trump’s Tariffs will not bring back manufacturing jobs”. The Times supported their opinion with several articles, including “Trump’s Solar Tariffs are clouding the industry’s future” (Jan. 23), which states: “Far more workers are employed in areas that underpin the use of solar technology, such as making steel racks that angle the panels toward the sun. And the bulk of workers in the solar industry install and maintain the projects, a process that is labor-intensive and hard to automate.” The Solar Energy Industries Association in the U.S. response is here, and their Fact Sheet (Feb. 2) explains the terms and impact of the decision. The Solar Foundation Census for 2017 shows that uncertainty in the lead-up to Trump’s decision led to the first-ever drop in solar jobs, but In Demand: Clean Energy, Sustainability and the new American Workforce, states that there are 4 million solar and wind energy jobs in the U.S.. Three Canadian solar companies immediately filed a suit against the tariffs in the U.S. Court of International Trade, arguing that they violate NAFTA. The EU, China, South Korea, and Taiwan have also filed complaints at the World Trade Organization. Continue reading →
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NEWS AND NOTES:
National Energy Board is a casualty of Canada’s new legislation for environmental assessment
On February 8, following 14 months of consultation and review, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change introduced the mammoth Bill C-69 An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. The government press release from Environment and Climate Change Canada highlights these talking points about the proposed legislation- It will: Restore public trust through increased public participation; Included transparent, science-based decisions; Achieve more comprehensive impact assessments by expanding the types of impacts studied to include health, social and economic impacts, as well as impacts on Indigenous Peoples, over the long-term. The detailed government explanation of the changes is here; other summaries appeared in the National Observer in “ McKenna unveils massive plan to overhaul Harper environmental regime”; “Ottawa to scrap National Energy Board, overhaul environmental assessment process for major projects” in CBC News; and in the reaction by The Council of Canadians, which expresses reservations about the protection of navigable waters. The new legislation includes the creation of an Indigenous Advisory Committee and requires that an expert on Indigenous rights be included on the board of the new Canadian Energy Regulator body, according to a CBC report, “Indigenous rights question remains in Ottawa’s planned environmental assessment overhaul”. Continue reading →
Oil sands companies called on to “keep it in the ground” – but Suncor opens new mine near Fort McMurray, deploys driverless trucks
The majority of Alberta oil sands production is owned by the five companies: Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL), Suncor Energy, Cenovus Energy, Imperial Oil, and Husky Energy. What the Paris Agreement Means for Alberta’s Oil Sands Majors, released on January 31 by the Parkland Institute, evaluates what the 2°C warming limit in the Paris Agreement means for those “Big Five” – by assessing their emissions-reduction disclosures and targets, climate change-related policies, and actions, in light of their “carbon liabilities.” Conclusion: “the changes required to remain within the Paris Agreement’s 2°C limit signals a need for concrete, long-term “wind-down” plans to address the challenges and changes resulting from global warming, including the fact that a significant portion of known fossil fuel reserves must remain underground.” Rather than keeping it in the ground, Suncor Energy announced on January 29 that it is continuing to ramp up production at its Fort Hill oilsands mine, about 90 kilometres north of Fort McMurray. The next day, Suncor also announced the beginning of a 6-year phase-in of approximately 150 autonomous electric trucks at numerous locations. The company said it will “continue to work with the union on strategies to minimize workforce impacts,” and that “current plans show that the earliest the company would see a decrease in heavy equipment operator positions at Base Plant operations is 2019.” Reaction from the local union is here in a notice on the website of Unifor 707A; Unifor National Office response is here: “Driverless trucks aren’t the solution for Suncor”. Continue reading →
Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline ignites a trade war between Alberta and British Columbia
Pipeline politics have ignited a trade war between the governments of Alberta and British Columbia – both led by NDP Premiers – with the Prime Minister clearly siding with Alberta and the construction of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. The latest episode in the longstanding interprovincial feud was triggered on January 30, when the B.C. government announced the formation of an independent scientific advisory panel to determine whether diluted bitumen can be effectively cleaned up after being spilled in water, and “Until that committee reports, the government will impose a regulation prohibiting any expansion, either by pipeline or rail, of heavy oil sands crude.” Details are in “B.C. announces oil transportation restrictions that could affect Kinder Morgan” in the National Observer (Jan. 30); “B.C.’s Action on Bitumen Spills ‘Finds Kinder Morgan’s Achilles’ Heel’ (Feb. 5). Alberta has responded by suspending electricity talks, a call to boycott B.C. wine, and a public call for the federal government to intervene because of B.C. lacks the constitutional authority to block the pipeline that crosses its land. If you only have time to read one article about this dispute, read the analysis of Alberta's Parkland Institute, in Let's share actual facts about the Trans Mountain Pipeline. The three claims being made by the Alberta government are: 1. the pipeline would generate $18.5 billion for “roads, schools, and hospitals”; 2. it would create 15,000 jobs during construction, and 3. it would create 37,000 jobs per year. With deep expertise in the oil and gas industry, Parkland explains how these numbers were derived and why they are mostly outdated and selective. Continue reading →
Clean Tech investment in Canada held back by a “fossil fuel comfort zone” and lack of financial disclosure
“Canadian cleantech startups get ready for a breakout year” appeared in the Globe and Mail on January 3, 2018 citing a 2017 report by Cleantech Group, which ranked Canada “fourth in the world as a clean-technology innovator – and tops among Group of Twenty countries – up from seventh place in 2014.” Then on January 24, the San Francisco-based company Cleantech Group released its ninth annual Global Cleantech 100 list for 2018; the List includes 13 Canadian companies, and the full Report is here (free; registration required). And on January 18, the Government of Canada announced that the federal government will invest $700 million over the next five years through the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) “ to grow Canada’s clean technology industry, protect the environment and create jobs." The same press release also announced the launch of the Clean Growth Hub, the government’s “focal point for clean technology”, which will focus on supporting companies and projects that produce clean technology, as well as coordinate existing programs and track results. Continue reading →
LEED Green buildings deliver energy savings, reduced emissions, and health benefits – including reduced absenteeism
A new study which examined how LEED-certified green buildings had performed over a 16 year period reported that the green buildings delivered $7.5B in energy savings, $1.4B of benefits in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and a further $4.4B in public health benefits. Those health benefits included an estimate of 21,000 lost days of work avoided in the U.S. alone; other health benefits derive from avoiding an estimated 172–405 premature deaths, 171 hospital admissions, 11,000 asthma exacerbations, 54,000 respiratory symptoms, and 16,000 lost days of school in the U.S. The results are summarized in “Harvard study: Green buildings deliver nearly $6bn in health and climate benefits”; the full study appears as “Energy savings, emission reductions, and health co-benefits of the green building movement” in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology online (Jan. 30) (restricted access). Continue reading →
Ontario’s GHG emissions at lowest level since 1990 – Environmental Commissioner commends the first year of cap and trade but recommends changes for freight sector, green procurement
On January 30, 2018 the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) submitted her annual Greenhouse Gas Progress Report to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario – an independent, non-partisan review of the government’s progress in reducing emissions for 2016-2017. The report, Ontario’s Climate Act: From Plan to Progress covers the period since the Climate Change Action Plan was introduced in June 2016, and the cap and trade market became effective January 2017. The report provides detailed emissions statistics by sector and sub-sector, catalogues and critiques climate-related policies, and places Ontario’s initiatives in a national and international context – especially the cap and trade market and its relationship with the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The Commissioner singles out the emissions of Ontario’s transportation industry and states that it will be impossible to meet Ontario’s emissions reduction targets unless urgent action is taken to rein in emissions from the freight sector, with recommendations to “encourage the freight sector to avoid trucking where possible. The report also calls for improved green procurement policies in government’s own spending and a stronger climate lens for regulation, taxation and fiscal policies. Continue reading →
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