A Good Week for People and the Planet

A statement by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) welcoming the November 2016 announcements by the Canadian federal government and the Government of Alberta to phase out coal-fired power plants by 2030, highlighting the expected public health and environmental benefits.

• The federal government of Canada and the Government of Alberta both announced plans in November 2016 to phase out pollution from coal-fired power plants by 2030.
• A report endorsed by 15 health and environmental organizations, including CAPE, the Lung Association, and the Asthma Society of Canada, estimates that a national coal phase-out by 2030 would prevent over 1,000 premature deaths, 900 hospital or emergency room visits, and save nearly $5 billion in health care costs.
• The majority of the health-related financial benefits from the coal phase-out are expected to occur in the Prairies, specifically approximately $3 billion in Alberta and up to $1.3 billion in Saskatchewan.
• Phasing out coal by 2030 is expected to reduce mercury emissions, which accumulate in the aquatic food chain and can harm the brains of children exposed during pregnancy.
• Accelerating the closure of coal plants is estimated to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 8%, assisting the country in meeting its Paris Agreement on Climate Change commitments.

APA

Perrotta, K. (2016). A Good Week for People and the Planet. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/a-good-week-for-people-and-the-planet/

Chicago

Perrotta, Kim. A Good Week for People and the Planet. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2016. https://cape.ca/a-good-week-for-people-and-the-planet/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Perrotta |first1=Kim |title=A Good Week for People and the Planet |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=28 November 2016 |url=https://cape.ca/a-good-week-for-people-and-the-planet/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{perrotta2016good, author = {Perrotta, Kim}, title = {{A Good Week for People and the Planet}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://cape.ca/a-good-week-for-people-and-the-planet/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }