Canada's climate diplomacy will outstrip domestic push

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Export Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Party Government ◽  
Coal Power Plants ◽  
Conservative Coalition ◽  
Gas Plants

Significance As part of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Canada has committed to a national target of 30% reductions in carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. However, figures released in April show Canada's emissions were down just 0.7% in 2015 from the previous year, amounting to an overshoot of 200 million tonnes compared with the pledged reduction. Phasing out coal power plants in Alberta and elsewhere and adopting stricter methane regulations will help achieve targets, but this may be offset by new oil sands development. Impacts The New Democratic Party government in Alberta may be caught between a conservative coalition at home and Greens in British Columbia. New natural gas plants may come online in Ontario if the Progressive Conservatives defeat Kathleen Wynne's Liberals next year. Closure of coal-fired power plants in Canada will contribute to a dwindling of export markets for US coal producers.

Right-wing alliance will undermine Alberta carbon tax

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Carbon Tax ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alberta Oil Sands ◽  
New Democratic Party

Significance The Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose party voted to merge with each other and contest the next provincial election in 2019 united as the UCP. The new bloc poses a significant threat to the province’s left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) government and to climate policy in Alberta and across the country. Impacts An Alberta-British Columbia spat over pipeline development seems inevitable whichever party wins in 2019, forcing Ottawa to intervene. The NDP government will increase borrowing as the election draws close to finance popular social programmes. Cheaper alternatives will undercut the Alberta oil sands even if a UCP government brings in deregulation.

Carbon capture rollout will hit global policy gap

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Carbon Capture ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Carbon Capture And Storage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Industrial Facilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Storage

Subject Carbon capture and storage technology. Significance Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered critical to achieving the ambitious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. CCS technology would allow power plants and industrial facilities to continue burning fossil fuels without pumping climate change-inducing gases into the atmosphere. However, deployment of CCS has been slow and the prospect of meeting the expectations placed upon it by the Paris climate negotiators is moving further out of scope. The recent cancellation of the Kemper CCS project in the United States is a bad sign for the future of the technology. Impacts Without faster deployment of CCS, many countries will struggle to meet their Paris Agreement emissions reduction pledges. If the rollout of CCS continues to falter, more wind and solar power will be needed to reduce carbon emissions. Absent a viable CCS model, it will be even more difficult to replace aged coal plants in the United States and other developed economies.

Jansa will consolidate Slovenia’s rightward shift

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Illegal Immigration ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rightward Shift ◽  
Conservative Coalition ◽  
East West ◽  
The Eu

Significance Slovenia has a new four-party conservative coalition government, comprising the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), the Modern Centre Party (SMC), the New Slovenia-Christian Democrats (NSi) and the Pensioners’ Party (DeSuS). Under their coalition agreement, SDS has seven of 16 ministries plus the premiership, SMC four, NSi three and DeSuS two. Impacts The rise of SDS will consolidate the trend in Central Europe towards national conservativism and deepen the east-west divide in the EU. Efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration will exacerbate tensions between Ljubljana and Zagreb. There is a chance a proposed package of supply-side reforms will stimulate the economy as the downturn in Europe hits Slovenian exports.

THE EFFECT OF DOMESTIC AIR POLLUTION MITIGATION AND FRACKING ON RETIREMENTS OF COAL POWER PLANTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (02) ◽  
pp. 1950008 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSEPH G. SCHIAVO ◽  
ROBERT MENDELSOHN
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Particulate Emissions ◽  
Natural Gas Prices ◽  
Coal Power Plants ◽  
Coal Power ◽  
Gas Plants

This paper quantifies the magnitude of multiple potential causes of coal-fired power plant retirements since 1997. The paper finds that although the low natural gas prices from fracking have increased retirements, the foremost cause of retirements has been the tightening of criteria air pollutant regulations. These pollution regulations encouraged significant mitigation investments to reduce sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and small particulate emissions. But the regulations also induced higher coal plant retirement rates which then reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Even accounting for the resulting increase in emissions from new natural gas plants, the regulations eliminated over a billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In this example, strict mitigation to protect domestic public health has led to sizable global co-benefits.

Australia energy policy will undermine emissions goals

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Housing Markets ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Economic Data ◽  
Emissions Reductions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inflation Forecasts ◽  
Supply Policy ◽  
Economic Outlook

Significance Recent economic data provide mixed signals for the economy, although GDP growth and inflation forecasts remain unchanged. The most important domestic risks to the economic outlook arise in domestic housing markets and energy supply. Policy is shifting towards greater intervention in markets. Impacts Australia is unlikely to meet its 26-28% emissions reduction by 2030 pledge under the Paris Agreement. Canberra will probably opt for a light regulatory touch for utilities that fail to achieve emissions reductions. Gas-fired power plants will nevertheless remain more attractive investments for utilities than replacing aging coal plants.

Ankara will remain cool on climate change

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Major Powers ◽  
To Come ◽  
Global Emissions ◽  
Global Influence

Subject Turkey's decision to postpone ratification of the Paris Agreement. Significance Turkey has made ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change contingent on promises of funding. Compromise will be difficult given the wider antagonisms between the Erdogan government and the major powers and the likelihood that any deal acceptable to Turkey would be perceived elsewhere as a special concession. Impacts Greening the economy will remain a low priority: coal-fired power plants will continue to be built. Turkey's carbon emissions will continue to grow rapidly and its share in global emissions to edge upwards for some years to come. Perceptions of Turkey as uncooperative and self-interested on climate change will increase its isolation and curtail its global influence.

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