Natural Resources
August 16, 2011
New Action Plans Released on Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Delivering on commitments from both the 2007 Energy Plan and Northern Strategic Plan, the Provincial Government today released two action plans - Charting our Course: Climate Change Action Plan 2011 and Moving Forward: Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2011.
“The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador believes that our province can be a leader in how to respond to climate change,” said the Honourable Ross Wiseman, Minister of Environment and Conservation. “We are committed to ensuring that the province is a model of economic and environmental sustainability. While we have made progress, we realize we have more to accomplish, and Charting Our Course sets out our goals and objectives as we move forward.”
Climate change is one of the greatest long-term challenges facing the planet and presents both opportunities and risks for Newfoundland and Labrador. The 2011 action plan embraces all sectors and focuses on greenhouse gas reductions, recognized as the principle cause of climate change, as well as adaptation measures for the impacts of climate change such as sea-level rise and increased storm activity.
Opportunities also exist to improve energy efficiency in a cost-effective way in Newfoundland and Labrador. In Moving Forward: Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2011, the Provincial Government recognizes the importance of leading by example and providing a strong and sustained focus that reaches out to all sectors of the economy.
“Energy efficiency offers a tremendous opportunity to support economic development and environmental progress in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said the Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Natural Resources. “Energy efficiency can lower household fuel bills, strengthen business competitiveness, enhance energy security, reduce air pollutants harmful to human health, and contribute to efforts to tackle climate change. The energy efficiency plan injects new momentum into our province’s effort to generate interest in energy efficiency initiatives.”
The action plans were developed from information garnered during consultations on climate change and energy efficiency held in the spring and summer of 2010. As these plans are implemented, the Provincial Government will continue to engage other governments, industry, communities, researchers and relevant stakeholders.
For more information, or to obtain copies of the action plans and their corresponding summary documents, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/exec/cceeet
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Media contacts:
| Melony O’Neill Director of Communications Department of Environment and Conservation 709-729-2575, 689-0928 moneill@gov.nl.ca |
Heather Maclean Director of Communications Department of Natural Resources 709-729-5282, 697-4137 heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca |
BACKGROUNDER
Action Plans Focus on Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Approaches
The release of the two actions plans fulfills four Provincial Government commitments. Charting Our Course fulfills two commitments from the Energy Plan (to update the 2005 Climate Change Action Plan and develop a Greenhouse Gas Strategy for the Energy-Intensive Sector) and one commitment from the Northern Strategic Plan (to develop a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for northern Labrador). Moving Forward fulfills the Energy Plan commitment to develop an energy efficiency plan.
Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s most
authoritative source of information on climate change, has concluded that it
is ‘unequivocal’ that climate change is happening and there is over 90 per
cent probability it is due to the release of greenhouse gases from human
activity. If left unchecked, climate change could result in sea-level rise
and coastal erosion, more intense weather systems and storm surges and
increased frequency of floods. These impacts can affect forestry, wildlife,
the marine environment, communities and the economy.
Charting Our Course: Climate Change Action Plan 2011 builds on the Provincial Government’s 2005 Climate Change Action Plan. It establishes a strategic approach to climate change and sets out government’s vision and goals for the next five years, including reducing provincial greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. The plan contains 75 commitments and recognizes that climate change is a shared challenge and success depends on individuals, households, businesses, and governments playing their part. The plan also recognizes that an effective response to climate change must include action to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change adaptation is a fundamental aspect of climate change policy. As a result of the greenhouse gas emissions that have accumulated in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, the Earth is committed to a certain amount of warming and some adverse impacts are now unavoidable. Adaptation encompasses those actions by governments, communities, businesses and individuals to understand, plan for and respond to unavoidable changes in the climate.
Given the scientific consensus that growing concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere are causing climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become a key priority for the global community. Without international effort to reduce the growth in greenhouse gas emissions, concentration levels will continue to rise. The extent of future warming will therefore be strongly dependent on the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere in the coming decades.
Energy Efficiency
The 2007 Energy Plan outlined energy efficiency as an important component of
Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy policy. A major shift in the uptake of
energy efficiency can make a fundamental contribution to the battle against
climate change where it reduces dependency on carbon-intensive fuels.
However, energy efficiency has a much wider set of benefits including
reducing household energy bills, enhancing business competitiveness,
improving energy security and reducing local air pollutants like particulate
matter. As a result, even if all of the province’s energy was generated from
clean energy sources, there would still be a strong economic rationale for
promoting greater energy efficiency. This is why the province has published
a separate but complementary action plan on energy efficiency.
Globally, increased energy efficiency could result in savings of hundreds of billions of dollars for organizations and individuals. The International Energy Agency estimates that every dollar invested in energy efficiency generates more than $4 in savings and that the savings can pay for the upgrades after approximately four years. The positive impacts of energy efficiency can be seen in Newfoundland and Labrador. For example, homeowners who improved energy efficiency, with support from the EnerGuide and Residential Energy Efficiency Programs saved, on average, $800 per year on their energy costs. Energy audits conducted in the fishing industry found that energy savings of 10-20 per cent could be achieved through the implementation of cost effective energy efficiency measures.
In Moving Forward, the Provincial Government reaffirms its commitment to pursue the target set by the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers to reduce energy consumption by 20 per cent by 2020 from business-as-usual projections. This is very challenging and requires all sectors of society to engage and play their part. To this end, the Provincial Government is committed to lead by example in how it manages its own operations and supports action across the economy by deploying a variety of policy instruments to deliver results, ranging from awareness raising to expenditure programs and regulations. The action plan contains 40 commitments and covers a five-year period.
2011 08 16 11:05 a.m.