Canada doesn’t need to abandon climate efforts in the name of growth or unity

The Canadian Climate Institute asserts that climate policy should not be viewed as a trade-off against economic growth, but as a necessity for it. The author argues that Canada must leverage its competitive advantages in critical minerals and clean electricity to capture a share of the global clean energy market, which reached nearly US$1.2 trillion in 2025. The document emphasizes that the costs of climate-related damage—including infrastructure repairs and health costs—are rising faster than the costs of solutions, and warns that climate change could reduce Canada's long-term annual economic growth rate by almost half. It calls for the 2026 federal budget to translate the proposed National Electricity Strategy into action and prioritize best-in-class clean technologies for all major infrastructure investments.

• The global market for clean energy technologies has experienced significant growth, increasing by approximately 20 per cent annually over the last ten years and reaching a value of nearly US$1.2 trillion in 2025.
• Major global emitters are leading in clean growth; China is the world leader in clean energy infrastructure, and the United States invested more than US$278 billion in clean energy and transportation in 2025.
• Climate change is projected to significantly impair Canada's economy, with the Canadian Climate Institute estimating that the long-term annual economic growth rate will be reduced by nearly 50%, leading to losses of hundreds of billions of dollars or more by the end of the century.
• Canada has specific competitive advantages for clean growth in sectors such as clean electricity and critical minerals, and can leverage its experience with harsh geography and climate extremes to develop clean solutions for other markets.
• The federal government has an opportunity in the 2026 budget to fund the National Electricity Strategy, which proposes doubling the grid using clean electricity to lower energy bills, reduce emissions, and increase economic growth.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2026). Canada doesn’t need to abandon climate efforts in the name of growth or unity. https://climateinstitute.ca/canada-doesnt-need-to-abandon-climate-efforts-in-the-name-of-growth-or-unity/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Canada doesn’t need to abandon climate efforts in the name of growth or unity. 2026. https://climateinstitute.ca/canada-doesnt-need-to-abandon-climate-efforts-in-the-name-of-growth-or-unity/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Canada doesn’t need to abandon climate efforts in the name of growth or unity |date=10 September 2026 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/canada-doesnt-need-to-abandon-climate-efforts-in-the-name-of-growth-or-unity/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianclimateinstitute2026canada, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Canada doesn’t need to abandon climate efforts in the name of growth or unity}}, publisher = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2026}, month = sep, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/canada-doesnt-need-to-abandon-climate-efforts-in-the-name-of-growth-or-unity/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }