The 'green race' is on and Canada needs to do better
The ‘green race’ is onand Canada needs to be ready to prosper in the transition to a
global low-carbon economy, says a new report by the National Round
Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) released as part
of its Climate Prosperity series.
The report,
target=”_blank”>Measuring Up: Benchmarking Canada’s
Competitiveness in a Low-Carbon World, creates a
new Low-Carbon Performance Index (LCPI) that tracks Canada’s
competitive performance in the global transition to a low-carbon
economy.
“To succeed and prosper in this global low-carbon
transition, we must first know how we stand against others,” says
the NRTEE report. “As the world moves to a low-carbon economy,
Canada can win or lose. The choice is ours.”
The LCPI, developed with Deloitte, finds that Canada currently
ranks sixth among the G8 nations when measured across five key
categories and 15 comprehensive indicators necessary for low-carbon
performance. The categories are emissions and energy, innovation,
investment, skills, and policy and institutions. The Index measures
a nation’s level of clean technology investment, low-carbon
financial stimulus and national-carbon pricing measures, as
examples.
NRTEE Creates New G8 Low-Carbon Performance
Index
While Canada ranks sixth overall among the G8, it is first in
skills and third in innovation under the LCPI. Other rankings are
fourth in investment, sixth in emissions and energy and sixth in
policy and institutions. Canada’s performance is just behind
the United States and close to Japan, which together form a second-
tier of low-carbon performing countries within the G8. The
Index is led by a first-tier group of France, Germany, and the U.K.
with Italy and Russia making up the third-tier.
Canada’s ranking reflects the reality and
challenges of our country’s profile as an energy-producing and
exporting country characterized by vast geography, a cold climate
and dispersed population centres.
“The global low-carbon transition is both a challenge and an
opportunity that we face,” said NRTEE Chair Bob Page. “But the
NRTEE believes Canada and Canadians are up to that challenge - that
with the usual Canadian ingenuity, hard work and original policy
ideas, Canada can become a world leader in the new economy to
come.”
How we rank
Competitive advantage in the future will require advances on
low-carbon performance for all countries. “Carbon, like inflation,
needs to be seen as ultimately weakening our economic performance,
affecting the competitive position of Canadian exports,” said Mr.
Page.
“The indicators chosen to create the Index arecomparable across all countries and rigorous in their methodology,”
said Valerie Chort, Partner, Sustainability and Climate Change at
Deloitte. “The Index reflects the view that prosperity in a
low-carbon economy will result from success across a spectrum of
performance areas. By bringing these performance areas together
under one umbrella, the Index provides a starting point for
understanding Canada’s low-carbon growth opportunities.”
The NRTEE report recommends that the LCPI be updated and
published regularly to measure progress, and that a second
nationally-scoped low-carbon index be developed and used as the
basis for developing a low-carbon growth plan for Canada.
“Climate prosperity is not just about coping with climate
change, but prospering through it,” said NRTEE President and Chief
Executive Officer David McLaughlin. “Canada’s resilient performance
through the recession shows we have a strong overall economic
foundation upon which to build.”
Measuring Up is the first report in a
seven-part NRTEE series entitled Climate Prosperity, examining the
economic risks and opportunities for Canada of climate change.
The NRTEE is a federally-appointed policy advisory agency
dedicated to achieving environmental and economic
sustainability.
target=”_blank”>Download the Report here
Source: www.nrtee-trnee.com
