Alberta Targets Net-Zero Climate Plan by 2050, With No “Trudeau” Random Target, Random Date Interim Targets

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has targeted a 40-45% cut in emissions by 2030 and will need to see major reductions from Alberta, the country’s centre of the fossil fuel industry.

“Alberta’s government is calling on the federal government to stop setting unrealistic, unachievable targets, to stay in their lane and work with the provinces without interfering in provincial jurisdiction,” Premier Danielle Smith said in a release.

“Instead of moving away from hydrocarbons, we will use these resources in innovative ways to ensure Alberta continues to provide the world with sustainably-produced energy and products,” she said.

Alberta Environment Minister Sonya Savage said the province is working on developing sector-specific emissions reduction targets but did not want impose interim goals that were unrealistic, and singled out Ottawa’s 2030 goal of a 42% cut in oil and gas emissions.

“That’s a random target attached to a random date,” Savage told a news conference in Calgary. “Before we regulate or impose limits on specific industries and interim targets there’s more work to be done. We have to see what’s achievable.”

The climate plan focused on areas including carbon capture utilization and storage, clean electricity, and tougher methane regulations.

Savage said Alberta is also exploring lowering a provincial cap on oil sands emissions from the current 100-megatonne limit.