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The document reports a significant decline in federal political will to regulate carbon emissions in Canada during 2013, specifically noting the delay of oil and gas regulations. In contrast, provinces took leading roles: Ontario phased out coal-fired electricity, Quebec launched a cap-and-trade system linked to California, and British Columbia maintained its carbon tax. The brief highlights the 'Keystone effect,' where U.S. market access for the Keystone XL pipeline became linked to Canada's GHG performance. It concludes that federal 'equivalency' agreements—intended to align provincial and federal standards—have stalled due to complexity and lack of political will, recommending that Canada embrace a bottom-up approach to subnational policy alignment.

The document details a stakeholder consultation held on December 3, 2013, focusing on Manitoba's transition to a green economy through its bioeconomy. It identifies the province's abundance of biomass—including agricultural residue, forestry residue, cattails, and prairie grass—as a key advantage. However, the report notes significant barriers such as competition from low-priced fossil fuels, high transportation costs (representing 35 to 50 per cent of biofuel production costs), and a lack of skilled labour. Proposed solutions include regulatory streamlining, the creation of a green fund, carbon and phosphorus pricing, and the establishment of energy procurement targets for the Government of Manitoba.

The document outlines the environmental and health risks associated with hydraulic fracturing (fracking), specifically highlighting the contamination of drinking water, high greenhouse gas emissions from methane leaks and transport, and the potential for carcinogenic effects on nearby populations. It concludes that natural gas is not a viable transition fuel and calls for a shift toward renewable energy in Canada.

The document details how warming winters in northern Manitoba have shortened the operational window of essential winter roads, leading to increased costs and safety risks. It describes the government's response, which involved using scientific projections to justify increased funding for upgrading and relocating roads to enhance resilience.

The report analyzes data from 4,293 surveys to determine the economic viability of LDAR programs. It finds that while many individual facilities may face a net cost for a survey, the aggregate effect across a group of facilities is positive due to the high value of repairing major leaks. The study concludes that LDAR using IR cameras is a low-cost abatement method for methane and VOCs, with the most economic strategy being to repair almost all identified leaks.

The research argues that existing assessments of the Keystone XL pipeline overlook the 'price effect,' where increased oil supply lowers global prices and induces higher consumption. Using a supply-and-demand model, the authors find that if the pipeline enables production that would not otherwise reach the market, it could increase global GHG emissions by up to 93 million tCO2e per year by 2020. This impact is significantly higher than the emissions resulting solely from the higher carbon intensity of oil sands compared to other crudes.

The document discusses the shift toward regulatory-based climate policies in both Canada and the U.S., emphasizing the need for 'equivalency' in measuring carbon reductions across different provincial and state systems. It analyzes the economic impact of proposed Canadian oil and gas regulations, noting that a 40/40 target (40% reduction with a $40 price ceiling) would cost significantly more than a 20/20 target. Finally, it suggests Canada is unlikely to meet its 17% emissions reduction target for 2020 due to delayed oil and gas regulations and increasing energy sector emissions.

The report examines how China can transition from relying on electricity surcharges to using environmental taxes and carbon pricing to fund renewable energy. By analyzing eight international case studies, it argues that EFR measures can be pro-growth if revenues are recycled effectively and that earmarking revenues increases transparency and investor confidence. The document suggests that China should consider a carbon tax and natural resource taxes to provide stable, long-term funding for its renewable energy targets, while implementing governance structures to ensure accountability and avoid the 'stop and go' investment cycles seen in some other jurisdictions.

The report examines how environmental taxes and other market-based instruments can fund renewable energy deployment. Through eight case studies from diverse economies, it argues that EFR can generate a 'double dividend' by reducing pollution while providing stable funding for green energy. It highlights the importance of revenue recycling to maintain economic competitiveness and the role of earmarking in increasing policy transparency and public acceptance. For China, the report suggests transitioning from electricity surcharges to a system based on natural resource and carbon taxes to ensure long-term investment stability.

The report outlines a framework for an Agricultural Water Security Market (AWSM) in southwestern Manitoba, designed to mitigate the impact of the expanding oil and gas sector on regional water security. The proposed market would enable companies to achieve 'water neutrality' by purchasing offsets that fund the creation of water retention sites, which in turn support groundwater recharge and provide co-benefits like flood mitigation and nutrient retention. The document analyzes 11 national and international water trading models to inform the AWSM's design, which is intended to start as a voluntary system based on corporate social responsibility before potentially transitioning to a regulated market. It estimates a potential water storage supply of 6,287 cubic decametres against an annual oil and gas demand of 400 to 600 cubic decametres. The report identifies key potential actors, including the Oil Producing Municipalities of Manitoba and Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship, and examines the provincial and federal legislative frameworks that could support the market's operation.

Friends of the Earth president Erich Pica alleges that the US State Department has displayed gross negligence and a pro-pipeline bias in the Keystone XL review process. The organization claims the State Department hired Environmental Resources Management (ERM), a firm with deep ties to the oil industry, to conduct a review that subsequently glossed over climate impacts. Pica calls for Secretary of State Kerry to investigate the awarding of the contract to ERM and to ensure that scientific concerns regarding tar sands development are incorporated into the environmental impact statement.

The document outlines a proposed carbon tax for South Africa, starting at R120 per tCO2-eq in 2015 with annual increases of 10% through 2019. It argues that a carbon tax is more suitable than an emissions trading system (ETS) in the short term due to the oligopolistic nature of the domestic energy sector. The design includes a basic tax-free threshold of 60%, with additional allowances for trade-exposed and process-emission sectors, and the possibility of using carbon offsets to reduce tax liability. Economic modelling suggests the tax would have a largely neutral impact on GDP and employment if revenues are recycled effectively through tax shifting or government investment. The paper also details complementary flagship programmes in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and public transport to support a just transition.

The policy brief analyzes four regulatory scenarios for Canada's oil and gas sector, pairing emission-intensity improvements (20% to 40%) with price ceilings ($20 to $60). It argues that a 40% intensity standard with a two-tiered price ceiling ($30 and $60) provides an optimal balance by delivering 42 megatonnes of compliance in 2020 at an average cost of $28 per tonne. The author notes that while higher intensity targets increase costs, the average cost per barrel remains low (under $1), suggesting that such regulations would not significantly deter industry investment, as project hurdle rates already account for a $40 marginal cost.

The Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) has filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, arguing that Canada's inadequate regulation of black carbon emissions is causing rapid Arctic warming and melting. This environmental degradation is alleged to violate the human rights of Arctic Athabaskan peoples in Canada and the United States, specifically their rights to culture, property, health, and means of subsistence. The document details the potent warming effect of black carbon, the fragmented nature of Canadian air quality regulations, and the specific ecological and social impacts on Athabaskan communities, including the decline of caribou populations and the loss of traditional knowledge. The petitioners request that the Commission investigate these harms and recommend that Canada implement mandatory measures to limit black carbon emissions.

The report examines the health and economic impacts of Alberta's heavy reliance on coal-fired electricity, which generated 64 per cent of the province's electricity in 2012. Using the Illness Cost of Air Pollution (ICAP) model and other data, the authors estimate that coal plants contribute to hundreds of premature deaths and thousands of emergency department visits annually. The report identifies a wide range of pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, mercury, and particulate matter, which affect respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological health. Economically, the report argues that the true societal cost of coal—including health damages and the social cost of carbon—ranges from 3.6 to 13.7 ¢/kWh, far exceeding the market pool price of 6.6 ¢/kWh. The authors conclude that the current system effectively subsidizes coal power at the expense of public health and recommend that Alberta accelerate the retirement of coal units beyond the 50-year limit allowed by federal regulations.

The document analyzes Canada's 2012 carbon policy transition, marked by the official withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of federal sector-based regulations for transport and coal-fired electricity. It highlights a growing trend toward 'equivalency agreements' where the federal government defers to provincial policies, potentially leading to a fragmented national landscape. The report also notes provincial initiatives, such as Quebec's cap-and-trade linkage with California and Ontario's coal phase-out, while recommending greater compliance flexibility and a clearer federal policy vision to reduce costs and meet 2020 targets.

The analysis argues that the Keystone XL pipeline's impact on global GHG emissions may be significantly higher than previously estimated if it increases global oil supply and lowers prices, which in turn stimulates demand. The authors model three scenarios regarding whether oil sands production would reach the market via alternative transport if the pipeline were rejected. In the case where no oil would otherwise reach the market, the study finds that global oil use could increase by up to 510,000 barrels per day, leading to an annual increase in GHG emissions of up to 93 million tCO2e. This potential increase is four to five times greater than the emissions resulting from simply displacing average crude with oil-sands crude and represents roughly 10% of the U.S. government's pledged emission reductions for 2020.

A coalition of environmental organizations submitted a letter to the Joint Review Panel opposing the Shell Jackpine Mine Expansion. They argue that tar sands extraction causes direct mortality of migratory birds via tailings ponds, destroys critical breeding habitats, and leads to the decline of woodland caribou through habitat fragmentation and functional loss. The document highlights the specific vulnerability of the endangered whooping crane and argues that the project is not in the public interest due to these cumulative ecological threats and the acceleration of global warming.

The document argues that rigid performance standards for Canada's oil and gas sector are likely to result in non-compliance and high costs due to the diverse abatement potentials across subsectors. By implementing flexibility mechanisms—such as in-sector credit trading and out-of-sector options like low-cost domestic reductions (LCDRs) and price ceilings—the government can achieve more stringent emissions intensity targets. Modelling suggests that while a 20% intensity improvement is achievable with in-sector flexibility, a 50% improvement requires flexibility beyond the sector to be feasible.

This report examines the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within technical-vocational education and training (TVET) in Manitoba, Canada. It identifies promising practices, such as the development of a new alternative energy program and the inclusion of sustainability outcomes in curricula, while highlighting significant barriers including lack of funding for green equipment, insufficient teacher training, and a gap in provincial-level policy guidance. The report suggests strengthening partnerships with industry to identify green skill demands and expanding professional development for educators to better prepare students for a green economy.