What's changed about climate change?

This briefing by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment outlines the evolving landscape of climate change as of February 2016, focusing on global temperature targets, the transition to renewable energy, falling technology costs, and the specific emissions profile and targets of Canada.

• The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected that without changes to current trends, global average temperatures would increase by 2°C by 2050 and over 4°C by 2100 compared to the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period. In response, nearly 200 countries at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference agreed to keep temperature rises well below 2°C, with Canada specifically aiming for a limit of 1.5°.
• To limit temperature increases, the IPCC estimates that global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 40% to 70% by 2050 (relative to 2010) to stay below 2°C, or by 70% to 95% to stay below 1.5°.
• The energy sector is shifting toward renewables and efficiency. In 2014, renewables became the second largest electricity source globally after coal. The IEA forecasts that by 2040, while global electricity demand grows by 70%, coal's share will drop by 30%, and renewables will provide 50% of electricity in Europe, 30% in China and Japan, and 25% in India and the United States.
• Renewable energy costs are decreasing significantly. Solar PV module prices fell by 75% since 2009, and residential solar PV modules cost 65% less than in 2008. Wind energy costs dropped by 58% over five years, making it cost-competitive with coal and natural gas in many areas.
• In Canada, 2013 greenhouse gas emissions totaled 726 mega-tonnes, with the oil and gas industry (25%) and transportation (23%) as the largest contributors. Canada has set targets to reduce these emissions to 622 MT by 2020 and 524 MT by 2030.
• The transition to clean energy provides health and economic benefits. Closing six coal-fired power plants in Alberta is estimated to generate $300 million in annual air pollution-related health benefits. Economically, Canada's clean energy generation sector earned CAD$10.9 billion in 2014 and provided 26,900 jobs in 2013.

APA

Perrotta, K. (2016). What's changed about climate change? Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/whats-changed-about-climate-change/

Chicago

Perrotta, Kim. What's changed about climate change? Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2016. https://cape.ca/whats-changed-about-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Perrotta |first1=Kim |title=What's changed about climate change? |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=26 February 2016 |url=https://cape.ca/whats-changed-about-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{perrotta2016whats, author = {Perrotta, Kim}, title = {{What's changed about climate change?}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2016}, month = feb, url = {https://cape.ca/whats-changed-about-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }