The NDP is ready to take these steps to tackle the climate crisis, and to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and a new economy with high-quality, union jobs.
The war in Ukraine has highlighted the importance of reliable, affordable and sustainable energy systems. More than ever, what the world needs – and what Canada needs – is an energy system that can accommodate sudden changes in climate and world politics all while continuing to play a key role in our economic recovery from the pandemic.
Building up our renewable energy resources and transitioning our economy onto clean energy is the best way for the people of NL to reach these goals. Only by taking on the challenge of a clean energy transformation can NL realize a future that is safe and prosperous for all. And only by acting decisively today, can NL take advantage of the opportunities to create thousands of good jobs and advance our economic future.
The world has a huge challenge ahead of it to move to net zero by 2050. Global carbon dioxide emissions are already rocketing upward as economies recover from last year’s pandemic‐induced shock. [1]
As the secretary-general of the United Nations recently noted in a speech on March 21, 2022, “Addiction to fossil fuels is mutually assured destruction… and the world is sleepwalking to climate catastrophe…. Instead of hitting the brakes on the decarbonization of the global economy, now is the time to race towards a renewable energy future.”
If we are to take his warnings seriously, it is past time for governments to act. And if we are to avert our ‘mutually assured destruction, it is well past time for the provincial government of NL to act decisively to accelerate the clean energy transformation.
More than 4 out of 5 people in the provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador want to see a transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency. And more than 4 out of 5 want our governments to provide training and income support for workers to make the transition.
Clearly, there are enormous challenges to make a clean energy transition happen. But there are also huge opportunities for our province to create thousands of good new jobs and advance our economic future.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had terrible consequences for its people who have lost loved ones, homes, and communities. But the resulting high oil and gas prices have led many fossil fuel companies and their allies in government to call for the replacement of Russian supplies by increasing oil and gas production elsewhere.
We can no longer afford to sleepwalk our way into climate catastrophe. Increasing fossil fuel supply amid a climate crisis is not only an ineffective economic solution in the short-term. It is utterly disastrous in the long-run as well. The time to act is now.
A clear climate and jobs plan will move our province forward and ensure that no one is left behind. Today we must do everything we can for the common good by making renewable energy and an equitable and resilient future a reality.
[1] IEA. 2022. Global Energy Review: CO2 Emissions in 2021. Paris, FR: International Energy Agency.