Time to rethink how the Impact Assessment Act weighs climate concerns

The Canadian Climate Institute suggests that using case-by-case impact assessments to determine if projects comply with emissions reduction pathways is inefficient and subjective. Instead, the author argues that overarching policies—such as industrial carbon pricing and the oil and gas emissions cap—are better suited to ensure projects align with climate goals. This shift would allow the regulatory review system to focus on averting specific environmental harms and engaging Indigenous Peoples while accelerating the approval of clean growth projects to maintain global competitiveness.

• The Canadian Climate Institute concludes that the regulatory review process is not the most effective mechanism for enforcing Canada's climate targets at the project level.
• Case-by-case impact assessments are viewed as less effective than overarching policies, such as industrial carbon pricing and the oil and gas emissions cap, for ensuring project compatibility with climate goals.
• The Impact Assessment Act's use of a "public interest" test, which includes a project's impact on climate change commitments, has been criticized for being too subjective and poorly defined, leading to a Supreme Court ruling that parts of the 2019 Act are unconstitutional.
• To accelerate clean growth projects and meet emissions targets, Canada should rely on specific climate policies—including the Clean Electricity Regulations, methane regulations, and climate-related financial disclosures—rather than the regulatory review system.

APA

Arnold, J. (2024). Time to rethink how the Impact Assessment Act weighs climate concerns. Canadian Climate Institute. https://climateinstitute.ca/time-to-rethink-how-the-impact-assessment-act-weighs-climate-concerns/

Chicago

Arnold, Jonathan. Time to rethink how the Impact Assessment Act weighs climate concerns. Canadian Climate Institute, 2024. https://climateinstitute.ca/time-to-rethink-how-the-impact-assessment-act-weighs-climate-concerns/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Arnold |first1=Jonathan |title=Time to rethink how the Impact Assessment Act weighs climate concerns |publisher=Canadian Climate Institute |date=19 January 2024 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/time-to-rethink-how-the-impact-assessment-act-weighs-climate-concerns/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{arnold2024time, author = {Arnold, Jonathan}, title = {{Time to rethink how the Impact Assessment Act weighs climate concerns}}, publisher = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/time-to-rethink-how-the-impact-assessment-act-weighs-climate-concerns/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }