2020- 2022 Policy Process | Green Party of Canada
Where GPC membership collaborates to develop our policies
G21-P023 Reduce Fossil Fuel Use in Canada’s Territories, Remote Communities and Northern Industries via Culturally and Geographically Appropriate Appr
Submitter Name
Karen Hamre
Ratification Vote Results: Adopted
Proposal
GPC supports targeting large emission sources in Canada’s territories, remote communities and northern industries to rapidly and cost effectively reduce fossil fuel use, with the aim of significantly cutting total emissions in ways that are culturally appropriate and suited to the cold climate and remote landscapes.
Objective
To create cost-effective, culturally appropriate and sustainable ways to promote renewable/carbon neutral fuels to cut fossil fuel consumption in Canada’s northern territories, industries and other remote communities.
Benefit
Implementation of this policy will lead to a substantial reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions in Canada’s three northern territories and remote northern communities in the provinces, while respecting the land and cultures of the regions.
Supporting Comments from Submitter
The current GPC emphasis in reducing use of fossil fuels in Canada is through a major ramp-up of renewable electricity and the creation of a national grid. This will not target most remote and northern communities in a timely and cost-effective way. For transportation and where electric and fuel cell vehicles are not viable, the GPC platform references sustainably produced biofuels; caution is needed as certain biofuels are not appropriate for use in the north. For example, biodiesel is not suitable for cold temperatures, whereas renewable diesel uses existing infrastructure and equipment. Renewable diesel from waste and sustainable sources is therefore recommended. (1) Assisting in the transition from fossil diesel to renewable diesel is a prime way to actually reduce GHG emissions in a timely and cost-effective manner, and suited to our northern emission types. (3)
Renewable/carbon neutral fuels are particularly important to industries in Canada’s north, where work camps and facilities like mining sites are not suited to long-term infrastructure projects such as power transmission lines. While microgrid solutions may play a vital role in many of Canada’s remote communities, many Arctic and sub-Arctic communities lack the economy of scale to deploy conventional distributed energy technology, and lack the local service personnel to keep generating assets in operation. Developing a market for renewable/carbon-neutral fuels can help solve the acute need for ‘plug-and-play’ technologies to help reduce emissions in power generation, space heating and transportation, while also kick-starting local fuel feedstock industries.
1: What’s the Difference between Biodiesel and Renewable (Green) Diesel, Advanced Biofuels USA, an educational nonprofit organization.
2: The Government of Canada is unknowingly creating barriers to adopting effective GHG reductions in the north through their funding programs. None of the following programs cover the cost of trialing technology or the premium cost of switching to a renewable diesel fuel, both necessary ingredients in northern GHG reduction scenarios:
- Northern REACHE
- Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC)
- Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund (LCELF)
- Emerging Renewable Power
- Arctic Energy Fund
- Green Infrastructure Fund
To target large emitters such as transportation, mining, along with community diesel plants, renewable diesel is needed as a viable (existing technology and infrastructure) and cost-effective option to achieve GHG reductions.
3: Climate Emergency! Let’s get the NWT off Diesel. Cost effective investments to reduce NWT GHG emissions by 50% within 5 years”, Alternatives North, April 2020.
4: Informing the development of Our Clean Future: a Yukon strategy for climate change, energy and a green economy, Navius Research (Noel Melton, Brett Zuehlke, Brianne Riehl, Mikela Hein), September, 2020.
https://www.naviusresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2020-09-05-YT-GHG-Model-Report.pdf
Green Value(s)
Ecological Wisdom, Sustainability, Participatory Democracy, Social Justice, Respect for Diversity
Relation to Existing Policy
Add to current GPC policy.
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