Green groups outraged after Ottawa changes the rules on environmental assessments | CBC News

Major Industrial Resource Projects Exempted from Federal Environmental Assessments

Major industrial resource projects under provincial jurisdiction that emit significant amounts of carbon emissions will no longer be subject to federal environmental assessments, according to recent amendments made to the 2019 Impact Assessment Act by the Liberal government. These changes have raised concerns among environmental groups, who argue that the government is failing to fulfill its responsibility to protect Canadians and the environment from the climate impacts of major projects across the country.

Environmental Groups Express Disappointment

In a letter addressed to Parliament, various environmental groups, including Ecojustice, expressed their disappointment with the amendments. They urged the government to retain the important aspects of federal decision-making within the scope of the act.

• Letter from Environmental Groups
• Amendments Introduced in Parliament

Changes to Impact Assessment Act

The amendments to the Impact Assessment Act mean that major industrial projects, such as oilsands mines, which fall under provincial regulatory authority, will no longer undergo federal environmental reviews for their carbon emissions. However, they can still be assessed by the federal government for their impacts on fish, aquatic species, and migratory birds.

The original law allowed the federal government to regulate projects that caused changes to the environment in other provinces. This provision has been dropped, which means that the federal government cannot withhold approval of industrial projects based on their emissions’ potential impact on climate change in other provinces and territories.

• Cross-border GHG emissions have a national impact – Ecojustice staff lawyer Josh Ginsberg

Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change Impacts

Climate change impacts, such as severe weather events, freshwater resource depletion, forest fires, shrinking Arctic ice, and glacial melting, are already being observed in Canada. These impacts align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations to address climate change and its effects.

1. SDG 13: Climate Action
2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
3. SDG 15: Life on Land

Assessment reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirm that human activities have contributed significantly to global warming.

Minister Guilbeault’s Perspective

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault supports the amendments to the Impact Assessment Act. He argues that the federal government is already regulating greenhouse gas emissions through strengthened methane regulations, an electric vehicle sales mandate, and a proposed cap on oil and gas sector emissions. Guilbeault believes that these measures, which were not in place when the act was updated in 2019, provide sufficient tools to address climate change pollution.

Supreme Court Ruling and Constitutional Challenges

The Supreme Court ruled on October 13 that certain sections of the Impact Assessment Act were unconstitutional. While some parts of the law were found to fall within federal jurisdiction, others were deemed too broad. However, the court did not prohibit the federal government from assessing greenhouse gas emissions.

Experts, such as law professor Stewart Elgie and lawyer Martin Olszynski, have expressed concerns about the government’s decision to retreat further than necessary to address the Supreme Court’s ruling. They argue that important areas of federal authority over climate change and air pollution have been abandoned. Olszynski suggests that the government could have made adjustments to satisfy the court while maintaining the federal government’s role in regulating projects with high greenhouse gas emissions.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is currently reviewing the government’s amendments, while the Ontario and Alberta governments, which opposed the act, have not yet provided comments.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
   • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
   • Target 13.5: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
   • Target 13.7: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing states, including focusing on women, youth, and local and marginalized communities

   The article discusses the impact of major industrial projects on climate change and the need for environmental assessments to consider emissions and their contribution to climate change. This aligns with SDG 13, which aims to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

2. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
   • Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally

   The article mentions the impacts of climate change on various ecosystems, such as freshwater resources, forest fires, and glacial melting. These issues are related to SDG 15, which focuses on protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Fuente: cbc.ca

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