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Is Ottawa’s Amended Net-Zero Electrical Grid Edict Achievable—and Will It Help Stop Climate Change?

Is Ottawa’s Amended Net-Zero Electrical Grid Edict Achievable—and Will It Help Stop Climate Change?
Power transmission lines and wind turbines as seen with the Rocky Mountains in the background near Pincher Creek, Alta., on June 6, 2024. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh
Jim Mason
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Commentary
Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault recently amended his edict that Canada’s electricity generation and distribution system achieve “net-zero” CO2 emissions by 2035, likely because Alberta Premier Danielle Smith finally made Guilbeault’s Liberal government colleagues realize this goal was impossible (as well as politically toxic). The question now is: Does Guilbeault shoving the net-zero goalposts out to 2050 make the impossible possible?
Jim Mason
Jim Mason
Author
Jim Mason holds a BSc in engineering physics and a Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics. His doctoral research and much of his career involved extensive analysis of “noisy” data to extract useful information, which was then further analyzed to identify meaningful relationships indicative of underlying causes. He is currently retired and living near Lakefield, Ontario.