Toronto — The David Suzuki Foundation applauds the groundbreaking Green Energy Act introduced today in Ontario. "With this initiative, Ontario is on track to become a leader in the global shift to clean energy and in preventing dangerous climate change," said Mark Lutes, the Foundation's climate change and energy policy analyst.
The David Suzuki Foundation has been calling on Ontario to pass legislation that would make Ontario a leader in developing renewable energy technologies, reducing greenhouse gases emissions and other pollutants, and enabling a shift away from dangerous and environmentally destructive energy sources such as coal and nuclear energy.
Ontario has committed to phase out coal use by 2014 and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels by 2014 and to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. The province's outdated and polluting electricity system is due for an overhaul, and the government is preparing to invest more than $60 billion in a new generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure. This presents an opportunity to modernize Ontario's electrical system incorporating the latest and most efficient green technology solutions and to make the province competitive in the emerging green energy economy.
The Green Energy Act is good news for Ontario's environment and economy. "Given current global environmental and economic challenges, economic benefits and job creation will go to jurisdictions who are leaders, who create the right conditions to attract R&D and manufacturing in the green energy sector and who can supply goods and services beyond their own province or state to the rest of North America and the world," added Mr. Lutes.
Passing a robust Green Energy Act is a big part of the solution, but much more needs to be done to make the best of the opportunity the Act creates, according to Mr. Lutes. "We need to follow through with the right regulations and pricing. As well, by phasing out coal and avoiding new investments in nuclear facilities we'll ensure that there is space for dramatically scaled up green energy on the grid."
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For further information:
The David Suzuki Foundation's Green Energy Act Backgrounder is available here.
