Transportation is responsible for 30% of global emissions. Canada’s transportation sector accounts 4 times more emissions than the average of the G20 countries, according to recent data from Climate Transparency. org. It’s about time to adapt trucks and commercial vehicles to the new sustainable energies, solar or electric.
Global CO2 emissions went down more than 2.5 bn tonnes in 2020 due to the coronavirus, 7% globally . This amount needs to continue also in 2021 to reach the goals of the Paris Accord. In Québec industries producing cement, aluminium and refineries are the biggest polluters and the ones to reduce their emissions promptly.
Regarding electric vehicles, consumer’s demand is rising and the numbers are growing exponentially, with lower prices every day and extended range autonomy : 340 km for the new Nissan Leaf 2021 or the Chevrolet Bolt. Average savings are about 2 000$ per year, not including maintenance and repairs (another 400$ to 500$). Government provincial subventions are 8 000$ or 4 000$, for a new car or used, and from federal government another 5 000$, always interesting. And every car amounts for 4 000 kg of carbon dioxide reduction emissions per year!
Concerning the pesticides, there is an important debate in Quebec about the need to forbid their usage. Scientific studies in the past showed a lack of impartiality of the industry regarding the issue. European Union imposed several restrictions to the renewal of the pesticide “Roundup“ by Monsanto with the support of more than one million individual signatures. Organic alternatives seem to gain more followers every day and initiatives like Jean-Martin Fortier (farmer who has developed the concept of micro-farm and bio-intensive agriculture in small surfaces) show the profitability of these projects without using pesticides!
Some initiatives like the « Pacte pour la Transition », signed by more than 285 000 people show clearly the importance of this issue in Québec. Citizens can engage with Individual gestures to reduce their ecological footprint and also put pressure on gouvernements and institutions to place environement as a priority in order to attain the objectives adopted in the Paris Accord in 2015.
Regarding transport by plane, we have recently known the huge impact in terms of emissions due to our travelling so we can become aware as users in the future. According to the ICAO, a passenger in economy class produces 90 kg of CO2 per hour of flight. Therefore it will be easy to estimate our emissions and be responsible for it.
Concerning the pipelines, Trans Mountain project (before Kinder Morgan) advanced into a decisive phase after being put on hold by the Supreme Court of Appeal for lack of consultations with First Nations and not having evaluated the risks associated to the orcas in British Columbia. The National Energy Board decided in 2019 to go ahead with the project, but opposition seems to get more support every day in the context of the global climate change, meanwhile the fossil industry loses momentum in comparison to renewable energies, respectful to the animals, aboriginal people, vegetation and rivers.
Recent demonstration in Montreal gathering more than 500 000 people, the Climate Strike on September 27th, show the importance of the issue, putting pressure on politicians to act now.
Blackrock investments, which manages more than 8 000 billion dollars in investments has just announced its new policy reducing its assets in the fossil industry, like many other Universities, governements and institutions have made.
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