Canada agrees to 'decarbonization' and to phase out fossil fuel use by 2100

After being pegged as a holdout on climate change at the G7 meeting in Germany, Canada got on board with an agreement that would stop the use of carbon fuels by the end of the century.

While Prime Minister Stephen Harper made it clear that Canada will have to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the long term, he also seemed to reassure the energy sector.

"Nobody's going to start to shut down their industries or turn off the lights," Harper said at a news conference on Monday. "We've simply got to find a way to create lower-carbon emitting sources of energy — and that work is ongoing."

RAW: Harper says G7 unanimous on environment

9 years ago

Duration 1:47

Prime Minister Stephen Harper address the G7's unanimous statement on the environment.

Ed Whittingham, executive director of the Pembina Institute, which works to advance clean energy solutions thinks the announcement is both "surprising and very encouraging."

However, he adds that many scientists believe that more drastic environmental measures are needed before the year 2100. 

"We're currently not on schedule to avoid two degrees of warming," Whittingham tells As It Happens host Carol off. "Two degrees is viewed by the scientific community as a safe threshold. Once we get beyond two degrees, then it's anyone's guess what's going to happen with the world's climate. Forecasts are becoming increasingly pessimistic."

He says that the target to achieve that would to lower carbon emissions by 80 per cent below current levels by 2050.

In May, Canada agreed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

"We're not going to do this overnight," he adds. "We still need fossil fuel based energy in Canada, and in the developing world -- especially to lift the 1.2 billion people who don't have reliable access to electricity out of poverty. 

"If you look at solar electricity, what's happened in the last few years is the price has come down incredibly. It's now on a trajectory to become the cheapest electricity in the world."

Whittingham believes that if solar continues to drop in cost as a reliable source of energy, booming countries such as China and India will rely on it to build up their electricity grids, instead of fossil fuels such as coal.