Two key members of the federal government’s Net-Zero Advisory Body have stepped down, citing Ottawa’s disregard for their work as it shifts away from previous climate commitments towards new oil and gas ventures. University of British Columbia professor Simon Donner and global climate advocate Catherine Abreu resigned this week, reducing the advisory body to four members.
Donner, a renowned climate scientist and former co-chair of the body, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to influence Canadian climate policy in a post on his LinkedIn account. He highlighted the challenges faced by the advisory body due to evolving government priorities, noting that the body’s advice was no longer being heeded effectively.
In a separate statement, Abreu criticized the government’s recent agreement with Alberta to back a new oil pipeline and its legislation supporting expedited environmental approvals for LNG and other fossil fuel projects. She raised concerns that the government’s actions, including the ‘Climate Competitiveness Strategy,’ could reverse the progress made in reducing Canadian greenhouse gas emissions.
Abreu emphasized that the expert advice provided by the advisory body was ignored in recent decisions, and the government was failing to uphold its obligations under the Net-Zero Accountability Act. The act, which established the advisory body, requires the government to establish and meet emissions targets, but recent assessments indicate that Canada is unlikely to achieve its 2030 goals.
The mandate of the net-zero advisory body is to outline pathways for Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Canada is expected to unveil an updated emissions reduction plan by the end of the year, as it grapples with the challenge of meeting its climate commitments.
It is clear that the government’s shifting priorities and decisions regarding energy projects have strained the relationship between policymakers and climate experts within the advisory body, leading to the resignations of Donner and Abreu.