A Primer on Climate Change

I originally wrote this piece in 2022 as part of my work with Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) to help inform our organizational position statement with respect to climate change, and to help shape the development of our climate change specific webpage. I am reproducing it here so that I can share this document with friends, family, or other acquaintances who might find valuable.

What is Climate Change?

Climate change describes how the relative stability of Earth’s climate and weather systems are changing due to the volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in our atmosphere. The changes we are experiencing are referred to as “anthropogenic”, because the emissions responsible are produced primarily through human activities. As a result of these trapped emissions, global warming has already surpassed +1°C relative to the period from 1850 to 1900 (what we call the pre-industrial average temperature). According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to avoid the most harmful impacts of climate change, we need to remain below +2°C of global warming, and ideally less than +1.5°C by the year 2100. The latest data from the United Nations shows that the world is on track to surpass +2.5°C of warming with emissions set to increase by more than ten percent by 2030.

Key Messages:

• Climate change is caused by greenhouse gases trapped in our atmosphere;
• These gases are mainly produced by human activities;
• Global warming has already surpassed +1°C, and we need to stay below +1.5°C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change; and
• Recent data shows that we are on track to surpass +2.5°C of global warming by 2030.

As Earth’s climate changes, it becomes more difficult for ecosystems to function because these natural systems have adapted to exist under specific conditions over millennia. Our ecosystems exist in a delicate balance, and they are not equipped to adapt at the speed at which human activities are changing our planet. For many species, evolution by natural selection does not happen fast enough to ensure their survival in a climate-changed world. We rely on healthy natural ecosystems to meet our needs, such as clean air, drinking water, and for the food that we grow. If these ecosystems struggle to adapt, then we will have trouble meeting our own basic needs for survival.

Key Messages:

• Climate change makes it harder for species and ecosystems to survive under new and changing conditions; and
• These ecosystems in turn support human life, we rely on them to meet our needs — if they struggle, we struggle too.

Climate change is no longer just some looming distant threat, it is already happening in Canada and around the world. It is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters — such as floods, forest fires, and drought — which pose an increased risk to both human and non-human lives in addition to the large economic costs associated with prevention, mitigation, and emergency recovery. Feedback loops are also accelerating the impacts. Addressing climate change is now an issue of harm reduction, as some climate change is already guaranteed from existing emissions. We have the responsibility to act now to minimize the impact on future generations and to those most at-risk — such as Indigenous and/or racialized communities, women, the unhoused, and other marginalized groups, especially those in the global south.

Key Messages:

• Climate change is already happening in Canada and around the world;
• Climate change increases the frequency and severity of natural disasters — such as droughts, floods and forest fires; and
• We have a responsibility to act now to minimize the harm on future generations and marginalized communities who are most at-risk.

What is Our Role?

Alberta Wilderness Association is concerned about the impacts of climate change on Alberta’s wilderness and biodiversity, as well as the harm that climate change poses to Indigenous communities in our province. We have concerns with how current land use and industrial activities in Alberta threaten to increase our contribution to global emissions, which poses an increased risk for exacerbating the worst effects of the climate crisis. Climate change is being driven primarily by the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, which produce emissions through their extraction and production — known as upstream emissions — and when they are burned by the end consumer — known as downstream emissions (e.g., tailpipe emissions from gas powered cars and trucks). Given the Government of Alberta’s historical and ongoing dependence on the fossil fuel industry, this has meant that Alberta plays an outsized role with respect to our contribution to the climate crisis.

Key Messages:

• AWA is concerned about the harmful impacts that climate change will have on Indigenous communities as well as wildlife and biodiversity in Alberta;
• Climate change is driven by the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas; and
• Alberta’s reliance on the fossil fuel industry means that we contribute more than our fair share towards worsening the climate crisis.

Canada is one of the largest polluters of GHG emissions in the world (both per capita and total emissions), so we have a greater responsibility to do our part in reducing emissions to prevent climate disaster. The Government of Canada signed onto the Paris Agreement in 2015 — a legally-binding international treaty — committing Canada to 40 to 45 percent GHG reductions by 2030, and net zero by 2050. Based on 2020 data gathered and shared by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the oil and gas industry is Canada’s largest source of GHG emissions, representing anywhere from 27 to 37 percent of our total reported emissions by sector. According to ECCC: “Canada’s oil sands production nearly tripled from 2005–2020, outweighing emissions intensity improvements, and leading to an increase in absolute emissions.” If we are going to meet our agreed upon climate targets, recent findings show we must be significantly more aggressive with our phase out of the fossil fuel industry than we have been to date.

Key Messages:

• Canada is one of the largest polluters of greenhouse gas emissions in the world;
• The Government of Canada signed onto the Paris Agreement in 2015 — committing Canada to 40 to 45 percent GHG reductions by 2030, and net zero by 2050; and
• The largest source of GHG emissions in Canada is from the oil and gas industry.

A February 2021 article by Dan Welsby et al., published in Nature, found that the majority of all currently known fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground to allow for a 50 percent chance of limiting warming below 1.5°. A May 2021 report by the International Energy Agency stated that all new fossil fuel development projects must be halted in order to meet net zero emissions by 2050, and we will likely need to close half of all existing fossil fuel production facilities prematurely to meet these goals[RL1] according to research by Kelly Trout et al., published in May 2022.

Key Messages:

Findings suggest that to achieve our emissions reduction targets, we must:

• Leave all known fossil fuel reserves in the ground;
• Stop all new or proposed fossil fuel projects; and
• Prematurely close half of existing fossil fuel production facilities.

While the oil and gas industry is well-known for its emissions, a report published by Nature Canada [DE2] in October 2022 shows that emissions from forestry in Canada are equal to those produced by the oil sands. The emissions created by industrial logging are often ignored and logging is portrayed as a way to sequester carbon in wood products. The report sheds light on the reality that logging actually increases emissions which have not been reported properly. Emissions from the forestry industry must be addressed for Canada to meet its emissions reduction targets.

Key Messages:

• Forestry is another large source of GHG emissions in Alberta and Canada — equal to that of the oilsands;
• Forestry is often wrongly portrayed as a solution to climate change, when that’s not really the case; and
• We must minimize the emissions from logging to meet our emissions targets in the fight against climate change.

Another part of the problem is that Canada’s financial institutions (such as banks and pension funds) continue to invest in the development, extraction, and consumption of fossil fuels, despite contradictory claims that they are taking climate change seriously. This is known as greenwashing. Ecojustice reported in June of 2022 that over the past year Canadian banks increased their financing of fossil energy projects by $61 billion. For example, since the 2015 Paris Agreement was signed, the Royal Bank of Canada has invested roughly $262 billion into oil and gas development — making RBC the fifth biggest funder of fossil energy projects in the world. Ecojustice, Environmental Defense, and Shift have called for the introduction of federal regulations which would place investment and lending limits on these institutions for assets that are not aligned with reducing emissions and limiting global warming.

Key Messages:

• Canada’s banks continue to greenwash their operations by investing billions into fossil fuel projects while claiming that they are taking climate change seriously.

AWA Position Statement on Climate Change:

In line with the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, AWA calls for the immediate phase down and eventual phase out of fossil fuel production in Alberta and Canada more broadly. This phase-down needs to be accompanied by a robust, evidence based, and Indigenous supported reclamation strategy (with associated long-term monitoring) for the oil sands region including all mines, infrastructure (existing and abandoned), and tailings ponds. The development and implementation of this reclamation strategy needs to be funded by the fossil fuel industry who have profited from the exploitation of Alberta’s landscape and working people, rather than by public taxpayer dollars which is often the case. We also call for a publicly funded (or joint public and industry funded) skills retraining program for workers employed by the fossil fuel industry to ensure a just transition towards renewable energy and more sustainable forms of employment. Addressing climate change requires an intersectional approach and should incorporate the calls of other social justice movements that seek to dismantle all forms of oppression and structural inequalities. This intersectional approach is more commonly known as the climate justice movement.

AWA calls for:

• The immediate phase down and eventual phase out of all fossil fuel production in Alberta — with no new exploration and/or mining;
• Regulations on Canadian financial institutions that would ensure divestment away from fossil fuel projects and towards responsible, renewable energy;
• A science-based, Indigenous supported reclamation strategy for all fossil fuel related activities and infrastructure;
• Funding for reclamation is to be paid by industry and not Albertan taxpayers; and
• Skills retraining programs for workers employed by the fossil fuel industry to ensure a just transition towards renewable energy.