Evolution of Environmental Policies in Canada
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Evolution of Environmental Policies in Canada
Introduction
Climate change and environmental degradation are some of the significant environmental issues facing the world today. Canada is among the world’s leading countries, as is largely affected by climate change due to carbon emissions. The government of Canada has put in place mechanisms to control the adverse effects of climate change, with the most effort being concentrated on creating and implementing environmental policies. Together with other countries around the globe, Canada strives to ensure environmental conservation and stability. This essay will discuss the evolution of environmental policies within Canada and throughout the world by looking at the factors that influence the development of environmental policies, the key global environmental agreements over the century, and Canada’s position as a leader on environmental policy development.
Factors That Have Influenced Environmental Policies in Canada and Internationally
Economic Factors
Economic growth is directly tied to the environment. This is because the environment provides all the required economic growth resources such as minerals, fossil fuels, and other raw materials. The environment also absorbs all the negative by-products of economic development and growth, such as waste products, chemicals, smoke, and greenhouse gas emissions. Economic growth is often harmful to the environment because when one grows, the other is degraded. However, a balance between both is necessary to ensure sustainability. Economic growth also contributes to environmental stability because it invests in technology that is useful in protecting the environment, which influences the development of environmental policies.
Canadas biggest environmental issue that arises from economic growth is air pollution due to the carbon emissions from the industries (Panayotou, 2016). The significant contributors to Canada’s Economy rely on fossil fuels to run production, which increases the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being released in the atmosphere. Natural resources such as wood from lumbering account for an estimate of 14% of Canada’s economy, threatening the depletion of these resources (Panayotou, 2016). Other activities related to Canada’s economic growth have led to water and soil pollution, inappropriate waste disposal, and biodiversity loss. To deal with the adverse effects of economic growth on the environment, the government of Canada has developed environmental policies.
To protect both the economy and the environment, the Canadian government has thoroughly implemented its environmental policies and improved the relationship between all the bodies responsible for ensuring environmental stability. The government has also integrated environmental policies with economic ones to ensure stability (Panayotou, 2016). Economic growth is a global thing, and there is cooperation among international countries. Since both the economy and the environment are tied together, international cooperation is also necessary when developing environmental policies. Climate change is not only affecting one country, but it is a global epidemic. The Canadian government has also formed the National Round Table on the economy and the Environment to create awareness on the relationship between the economy and the environment (Panayotou, 2016).
Societal Factors
Human beings interact with the environment daily, and the impact of humans on the environment is diverse and complex (NA, 2016). Human activities can have both positive and negative effects on the environment. The environment also impacts human life, such as health, food security, and the lifestyle of the people living there. As the population continues to grow, so does the impact on the environment. An increase in the population means that more land is required for settlement and other human activities such as farming and animal keeping. Increased population growth leads to deforestation to create more space for urban development. The creation of more cities, in turn, leads to increased pollution in terms of air water and waste disposal. Increasing numbers, therefore, calls for the creation of environmental policies that ensure natural habitats such as parks and forests are protected from being turned into cities. It also calls for the development of environmental policies that call for green housing to maintain ecosystems. Understanding population growth is key in developing environmental policies (NA, 2016).
Another societal factor that influences the design and development of environmental policies is technology. Technology also affects how people interact with the environment (NA, 2016). An excellent example of technology and its impact on the environment is the use of motor vehicles. In Canada, the number of cars that are on the roads grows at twice the rate of the population (NA, 2016). The more people continue to advance, the more vehicles there are on the roads. An increased number of vehicles leads to air pollution and noise pollution. The design of environmental policies should take into account the interaction of people with technology and the environment. The use of technology can either hasten environmental degradation or slow it. Technology can offer ways of reducing environmental degradation; for example, the development of air filters that ensure no harmful gases are released into the environment. Social aspects have a bearing on the development of environmental policies. Legislators must ensure that the policies being designed, developed, and implemented affect human activity and the environment positively. There are many tradeoffs to consider when developing environmental policies in regards to human interaction with the environment.
Key Global Environmental Agreements Over the Last Century
Protecting the environment is a global goal. All countries are coming together to combine efforts to fight climate change and pollution and improve environmental sustainability. Many international agreements have been passed and ratified by nations around the world. The united nations are the biggest proponents of environmental policy globally. The first effort to combat climate change began in 1988 when the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) was formed (Dowson, 2019). The IPCC’s goal is to evaluate the effects and future risks of climate change and come up with suggestions to mitigate these effects of climate change. In 1990 the IPCC and the Second World Climate Conference formed a global treaty after the IPCC released a report stating that human activities increase greenhouse gas emissions (Dowson, 2019).
Another international policy was adopted in 1992, the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCC requires all nations to look into their greenhouse gas emissions (Dowson, 2019). It acknowledges that countries emit different amounts of gases, and in turn, their responsibilities will also vary. The framework also called for developed countries to help the developing ones manage their emissions and the effects of climate change. The Kyoto Protocol is another international agreement that was adopted in 1997 (Dowson, 2019). The agreement calls for countries to use less harmful emissions in production. It allows for certain emissions to ensure the profitability of countries.
According to “History of UN climate talks,” (2017) most nations failed to ratify the Kyoto protocol, and its effects were also not being felt, and this led to the creation of the Copenhagen and Cancun Agreements in 2009. These agreements were focused on temperature, and they stated that it should be 2℃ under and 1.5 ℃ above industrial levels. In 2015, the Paris agreement was adopted, which combined the Kyoto protocol and the Copenhagen and Cancun agreements. The Paris agreement contains the agreements by nations to cut down on greenhouse emissions and how the commitment will be adjusted with time. The Paris agreement makes headway as it accepted by all countries within the UN and is the most recent global agreement on climate change.
Evolution of Canadas Position as A Leader in Environmental Policy
The position of Canada in environmental policy has evolved over the years from inconsistent to consistent. Maciunas & de Lassus Saint-Geniès (2018) discuss this father by stating that during the years of adopting the Kyoto Protocol, Canada’s leadership had not committed fully to combating climate change. Both domestic efforts and international cooperation were inconsistent. The inconsistencies arose because the administration failed to implement what it had declared at an international level. The government agreed to curb carbon emissions on a global platform but did not do so locally. They took no actions against those who were still emitting considerable amounts of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Maciunas & de Lassus Saint-Geniès (2018) father state that after the Second World Climate Conference, however, the federal government of Canada appeared to be keener on implementing the climate change agreements that it had ratified. The government began focusing on increasing awareness and coming up with green energy, but it did not directly tackle the significant causes of climate change.
Maciunas & de Lassus Saint-Geniès (2018) continue by saying that Canada supported measures to reduce carbon emissions during the Kyoto years but not unconditionally. During these years, Canada was known internationally as an environmentally progressive country, but all this was just aspirational because there was no evidence to prove it. A change in government led Canada to reject the Kyoto protocol and adopt domestic measures on climate change without committing to international expectations of mitigating climate change. The results were there, but they did not necessarily meet the set international standards of mitigation. The current government in Canada is wholly dedicated to mitigating the effects of climate change with environmental policies taking center stage in government. The legislation is hell bound on reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere by intruding policies such as carbon tax (Maciunas & de Lassus Saint-Geniès 2018). With the government’s dedication to mitigating climate change, Canada will be able to achieve her set objectives on climate and environmental stability.
Conclusion
Environmental policy development has evolved over the century. This evolution has been facilitated by the different factors that affect policy formulation combined with the international agreements that the government has ratified. There is still much to be done to achieve the required levels of rain, temperature, and emissions that are required. With consistent efforts by both government and citizens in Canada and around the globe, there is a possibility of mitigating climate change. Environmental policies should also take into account all the tradeoffs to ensure that every stakeholder benefits.
References
Dowson, J. (2019, May 10). Timeline – UNFCCC — 25 years of effort and achievement. https://unfccc.int/timeline/
History of UN climate talks. (2017, October 25). Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. https://www.c2es.org/content/history-of-un-climate-talks/
Maciunas, S., & de Lassus Saint-Geniès, G. (2018). The Evolution of Canada’s International and Domestic Climate Policy: From Divergence to Consistency.
NA, N. (2016). Greening environmental policy: The politics of a sustainable future. Springer.
Panayotou, T. (2016). Economic growth and the environment. The environment in anthropology, 140-148.