Acting on Climate Change : Solutions from 60 Canadian Scholars

Since 2013, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been urging countries around the world to adopt ambitious climate change policies so as to avoid a global temperature increase of more than 2oC during this century. Answering this call, we formed the Sustainable Canada Dialogues, an initiative that mobilizes over 60 researchers from every province, working to identify a possible pathway to a low-carbon economy in Canada. Our position paper, Acting on Climate Change: Solutions from Canadian Scholars, launched in March 2015, identifies ten policy orientations illustrated by actions that could be immediately adopted to kick-start Canada's necessary transition to a low-carbon economy and a sustainable society. Scholars from Sustainable Canada Dialogues unanimously recommend putting a price on carbon. Besides putting a price on carbon, Acting on Climate Change: Solutions from Canadian Scholars examines how Canada can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by (1) producing electricity with low-carbon-emissions sources; (2) modifying energy consumption through evolving urban design and transportation advancements; and (3) linking the transition to a low-carbon economy with a broader sustainability agenda, through the creation of participatory, well-coordinated, and open governance institutions that engage the Canadian public. Our proposals take into account Canada's assets and are based on the well-accepted “polluter pays” principle