International Climate Change Strategy and the Canada-United States Clean Energy Dialogue

As required by the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) was conducted to identify and assess the environmental effects that could arise from proposed options for Canada’s continued participation in international climate change multilateral and bilateral fora, and engagement and alignment with the United States (US) in the areas of climate change and clean energy.

The changing climate is already affecting Canadians and their communities in diverse ways.  For example, changing traditional livelihoods in Canada’s north due to shrinking sea ice coverage and melting permafrost, and mountain pine beetle infestations in British Columbia due to warmer winters.  These impacts are expected to continue. Addressing the global challenge of climate change requires global action. Canada must participate in these global efforts to advance its own climate change agenda.

The proposed initiative will ensure that Canada continues to engage across multilateral fora in strategic international climate change discussions and negotiations and that Canada continues to engage and align with the US on climate change issues. This initiative will enable Canada to participate in international efforts to address the global challenge of climate change.  

The SEA of the International Climate Change Strategy concluded that this initiative would result in important positive environmental effects through Canada’s continued participation in international climate change negotiations and engagement and alignment with the US in questions of clean energy and climate change.  The strategy aims to support global action to address climate change, and the initiatives outlined in this proposal are specifically aimed at reducing greenhouse gases, and at contributing to global climate change efforts.

The SEA also determined that this initiative will support Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS), Planning for a Sustainable Future:  a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy for Canada, under “Goal 1: Climate Change, Target 1.1 Climate Change Mitigation - Reduce greenhouse gas emission levels to mitigate the severity and unavoidable impacts of climate change.”  In particular, the proposal supports implementation strategies for Clean Energy and implementation strategies for International Work on Climate Change.  The initiative will also contribute to the goals outlined in the Clean Air Act, with a pro-active approach to advance the international action necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions impacting Canadians. 

In summary, it is expected that the initiative will result in important positive environmental effects and make a significant contribution to the achievement of the FSDS.