e-4924 (Environment)

Petition to the Government of Canada

• Coal is the dirtiest source of electricity, producing more climate destabilizing GHG emissions than other fossil fuels to make the same amount of electricity;
• According to the IEA, coal was “the single largest source of global temperature increase” in 2018, making coal burning one of the most significant driving factors of climate change;
• The UNEP recently found that a near total phase out of coal production was necessary by 2040;
• The current government has promised to ban thermal coal exports, from and through Canada as swiftly as possible, and no later than 2030;
• At the 2023 G7 Climate, Energy, and Environment Ministers’ Meeting, Canada renewed calls on non-G7 countries to phase out unabated coal power generation consistent with a 1.5°C compatible future;
• Acting as swiftly as possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever, with the world likely to breach 1.5 degrees of warming by 2027;
• In 2022, Canada exported more than eight million tonnes of domestically mined thermal coal, a 60 per cent increase over 2021;
• When including Canadian and American mined thermal coal, the total amount of thermal coal exports from Canadian West Coast ports was 19.5 million tonnes in 2023; and
• Since this government has come to power, domestic thermal coal exports have more than tripled, undermining global emissions reduction efforts.