Globe Climate: Is the U.S. climate bill great news for Canada?

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Good afternoon, and welcome to Globe Climate, a newsletter about climate change, environment and resources in Canada.

Canada is experiencing a shortage of farming primarily because new farmers often can’t purchase land, but one group has been working on a solution. After looking for land near her home on Vancouver Island for two years, Stephanie Jacobs had given up. Then, she heard about Sandown, a program that wants to help foster the next generation of farmers.

Through Sandown, farmpreneurs like Jacobs can learn regenerative agriculture, find affordable land and get the support needed to become financially viable. We always love to see an eco-friendly approach!

Now, let’s catch you up on other news.

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Noteworthy reporting this week:

1. Books: In his new book, Nobel laureate and cosmologist James Peebles suggests the universe is simpler than it seems.
2. Land: The next Land Back battleground will be north of Lake Superior, as Chiefs say no to nuclear waste on their traditional lands, writes Tanya Talaga. Also read: Gitxsan hereditary chiefs declare protected area in part of upper Skeena watershed.
3. N.L wildfires: Province’s fires could be sign of what climate change has in store for province, climatologist says. Last week, communities were cut off with food running low as residents prepared for evacuations.
4. Energy: Trudeau and Scholz to sign agreement exploring hydrogen fuel production in Canada for export to Germany. Also read: Germany debates lifting fracking ban as it confronts energy supply crisis.
5. From The Narwhal: Canadians could soon have the legal right to a healthy environment. But can it be enforced?

A deeper dive

The U.S. passed a historic climate bill, what does that mean for Canada?

Sierra Bein is the author of Globe Climate. For this week’s deeper dive, she pulls together Globe highlights on the U.S. new Inflation Reduction Act, a historic climate bill.

On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved new legislation with a heavy focus on on cutting carbon emissions and pushing the country toward green energy.

The historic US$430-billion bill represents the country’s largest single investment to combat climate change, earmarking US$369-billion for climate and energy programs. We have an explainer to answer all your climate questions about the bill: who voted, what’s in it and how it might affect the stock market.

The bill flaunts some consumer-friendly changes; home energy rebate programs, tax credit to buy new electric vehicles, a grant program to make affordable housing more energy-efficient. There’s also a long list of industry incentives too, mostly boosting clean energy sectors.

Democrats had drawn harsh attacks from Republicans, arguing that the bill will not address inflation. There are still opponents, such as some automakers that say the bill will jeopardize 2030 EV targets since vehicles must be assembled in North America to be eligible for the EV tax credit. Still, shares of U.S. automakers jumped last week after U.S. Senate passed the bill.

But there is also mixed reaction here in Canada.

Suddenly, we are no longer the undisputed leader among North American countries in confronting climate change, writes climate columnist Adam Radwanski.

He says that although it’s great news for the world, whether it’s great news for Canada will hinge on Ottawa’s ability to match Washington’s newfound urgency. But Ottawa can’t just mimic Washington.

A few examples? We have room to step up federal and provincial EV strategies, reorient our Net Zero Accelerator program, and keep good on the federal government’s promise to provide more detail on the Canada Growth Fund. We could also use this as an opportunity to better federal-provincial cooperation on climate topics.

Economic interests, not just environmental ones, were drivers for Canada to up its game before this U.S. climate bill was passed. But, as Radwanski points out, the luxury of time is no longer there, if it ever was.

What happens next it up to us.

Also read:

• Analysis: Can the most far-reaching climate deal in U.S. history ensure Biden’s legacy after all?
• Opinion: U.S. climate bill’s EV incentives are not the game-changer North American auto industry was hoping for
• Opinion: Why Biden’s historic climate bill could be a big win for Canada
• Investing: Morgan Stanley analyst picks the mining winners from the biggest climate bill ever

What else you missed

• Tesla steps up lobbying effort with Ontario, Ottawa to set up a ‘manufacturing facility’
• Climate hazards have worsened 58 per cent of known infectious diseases in people, study finds
• Plastics producers ask the Federal Court to scrap single-use ban but Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says he’s confident the attempt will fail
• Quebec smelter asked to cut arsenic emissions, but even then they would remain five times higher than the provincial standard
• Nova Scotia approves bid to raise tailings dam at Touquoy gold mine
• Michigan company cited for releasing industrial chemicals into Huron River system
• World food crisis prompts rise in child marriages, Canadian aid agencies say
• Satellite imagery shows Antarctic ice shelf crumbling faster than thought
• France battles ‘monster’ wildfire as heat waves scorch Europe

Opinion and analysis

Professors at UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability: The UN just recognized access to a healthy environment is a universal human right. It’s time for Canada to take action

Editorial board: By asking farmers to cut emissions, is Ottawa biting the hand that feeds us?

Tyler McCann: Now that farmers have greater clarity on fertilizer emissions, it’s time to refocus on food security

Johanne Whitmore and Paul Martin: Repurposing LNG infrastructure for hydrogen exports is not realistic

Editorial board: Plant a tree to slow global warming? If only it were so simple

Green Investing

How new proposed standards aim to bring credibility to the multibillion-dollar carbon offsets market

There is a lot riding on efforts by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market. They launched a public consultation for the draft of its new carbon standards, which aim to inject credibility into global carbon markets.

Its draft “Core Carbon Principles” are a set of standards for ensuring a steady supply of high-quality carbon credits and determining which programs for generating them will make the grade. But carbon offsets are not a silver bullet for achieving environment goals of halving global emissions of CO2 to 32 billion tonnes by 2030, and not everyone is sold on their effectiveness.

Of course, companies will have to go beyond offsets to achieve what’s necessary to reach climate targets. Read Jeffrey Jones’s full analysis.

Also:

• Montreal-based WSP Global to buy U.K. environmental consulting company in third takeover in just three months
• U.S. renewables investors see Senate bill sparking gold rush

Making waves

We will be taking a break from publishing profiles this summer! But we’re still looking for great people to feature. Get in touch with us to have someone included in our “making waves” section for after Labour Day.

Do you know an engaged individual? Someone who represents the real engines pursuing change in the country? Email us at GlobeClimate@globeandmail.com to tell us about them.

Photo of the week

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Guides and Explainers

• Want to learn to invest sustainably? We have a class for that: Green Investing 101 newsletter course for the climate-conscious investor. Not sure you need help? Take our quiz to challenge your knowledge.
• We’ve rounded up our reporters’ content to help you learn about what a carbon tax is, what happened at COP 26 and just generally how Canada will change because of climate change.
• We have ways to make your travelling more sustainable and if you like to read, here are books to help the environmentalist in you grow, as well as a downloadable e-book of Micro Skills - Little Steps to Big Change.

Catch up on Globe Climate

• These drones are helping plant trees
• The simmering feud over an Alberta town’s possible return to coal mining
• Climate-related migration in Peru’s Amazonas region leads to community upheaval
• What does the future hold for ESG?

We want to hear from you. Email us: GlobeClimate@globeandmail.com. Do you know someone who needs this newsletter? Send them to our Newsletters page.