The Coal Phase-Out By:Taha Subzwari

The Coal Phase-Out in Canada is a result of the Paris Agreement of 2015. The Paris Agreement is an agreement between Canada and 194 other countries to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.The main goal of the agreement is to reduce the annual rise in global temperature from 2°C to 1.5°C to slow the impact of climate change. In addition to the temperature regulation, the agreement aims to create a low carbon future with less GHG development. A large scale of action is needed because even if one country is polluting the Earth, there will be consequences.Along with the UK, Canada founded the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) to enlighten countries of the threat coal poses to the environment and long term climate.This initiative is a phase-out of all coal-powered electricity generation over the country. Canada has been successful in this initiative, with some provinces like Ontario having zero coal-powered emissions and replacing coal power with cleaner energy sources like wind and solar.Canada also gave $275 million to the World Bank in the December of 2018 to aid developing countries in the phase-out of coal and their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fulfilling their part of the Paris Agreement

As of 2013, coal-fired electricity accounted for nearly 20% of global GHG emissions and, in 2015, 9% of Canada's GHG emissions. Coal was used to generate 11% of Canada's electricity but accounted for an astonishing 78% of GHG emissions in the electricity industry.Many of Canada's provinces have been successful in decommissioning coal-fired power out of their power generation industry and replacing it with a cleaner energy source such as Ontario, which has reduced the number of yearly smog days from 53 to zero.The remaining provinces that contribute to a majority of Canada's coal emissions are Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. These provinces are aided by others that are working to make Canada a green country.

The United Kingdom and Canada are the founders of this initiative, with many other nations who have become members of the PPCA in their quest to reject and diminish coal-powered energy generation and reduce the threat of climate change. There are a total of 34 national governments in PPCA. The countries who have committed to the initiative are:CanadaUnited KingdomAustriaAngolaBelgiumCosta RicaDenmarkSalvadorEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceIrelandIsraelItalyLatviaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMarshall IslandsMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNiuePeruPortugalSenegalSlovakiaSwedenSwitzerlandTuvaluVanuatu

Some governments are not members of the alliance (for example, the USA) though many subnational governments have committed to reducing coal-fired emissions in their area of power. There are a total of 33 subnational governments.Alberta, Canada Australian Capital Territory, Australia Baden-Württemberg, Germany Balearic Islands, Spain British Columbia, Canada California, USA Connecticut, USA Gyeonggi, South Korea Hawaii, USA Honolulu, USA Ilocos Norte, Philippines Kaohsiung City Los Angeles, USA Melbourne, Australia Minnesota, USA Negros Oriental, Philippines New Jersey, USA New Taipei City New York, USA Ontario, Canada Oregon, USA Philadelphia, USA Puerto Rico Quebec, Canada Rotterdam, Netherlands Scotland, UK Seoul, South KoreaSouth Chungcheong, South Korea Sydney, Australia Taichung City Vancouver, Canada Wales, UK Washington, USA

Some businesses have also joined the PPCA to further aid the transition from coal power to clean energy. These businesses support the project financially and industrially with the reduction of their use of coal for manufacturing and transporting. Organizations that have joined the PPCA are:Aberdeen StandardAlterra Power Corp.ArcTern VenturesAutodeskAvant Garde InnovationsAviva PLCAXA Investment ManagersBritish TelecommunicationsCaisse des Dépôts GroupCanadian GeoExchange CoalitionCCLA Investment Management Ltd.Central Finance Board of the Methodist ChurchChurch of England Pension BoardDesjardins GroupDiageoDraxDSMEDP GroupEconet GroupEcoSmartElectricité de France (EDF)EngieGreenScienceHermes Investment ManagementIberdrolaKeringLegal & GeneralMarks and SpencerNational Grid ESONatura CosmeticsØrsted

The Coal Phase-Out initiative and PPCA is imperative in slowing down the process of global warming and climate change.Coal is one of the most polluting sources of electricity, but coal power plants account for almost 40% of the world's electricity. Meaning 40% of global energy is responsible for much of climate change. Since developed countries use more electricity than developing countries, developed countries are under more pressure to reduce/eliminate coal from their power generation industry.Air pollution from specifically coal-burning can cause serious health issues like smog, asthma, respiratory diseases and premature deaths, all of which can create serious health care and economic costs, in turn, possibly increase taxes. Among the health issues of coal power, a recent analysis has shown that 800,000 deaths around the world annually are the result of coal pollution.In recent years, the costs of clean energy, such as wind power and solar power, have sunk to make clean energy a low-cost option for many nations worldwide.As Canada is a very industrialized country, it is among the most responsible for the world's current state, which is why we need to model the clean infrastructure that our world so desperately needs.

Following the Paris Agreement of 2015, Canada plans to have phased-out coal from the country by the year 2030 and help developing countries do the same by 2050. The Paris Agreement provides a deadline of 2030 because, after that, it will become increasingly difficult to limit the increase of global annual temperature to 1.5°C, which is required to decrease the impact of climate change like the thawing of arctic glaciers. In developing countries, the deadline is 2050 because they might be in more financial trouble. This is why Canada is helping developing countries and providing money to the World Bank.

Canada is well on its way to the goal of eliminating all coal-fired emissions. There are multiple components to this plan.In December of 2018, Canada released new regulations on coal-fired electricity and natural-gas-fired electricity. These regulations created thousands of well-paying jobs in the electricity industry, supported the final goal of 90% non-emitting electricity by 2030.Canada also recognizes the impact this initiative has on coal workers and miners, which is why it established the Just Transition Task Force in 2018. This task force was to survey coal power workers and communities that rely on coal as their main source of electricity and voice their concerns towards the government. As such, alternatives and compromises will be made to help these Canadians in their transition to a cleaner future.Canada is phasing out coal by replacing power generation stations that run on coal with stations that run on clean energy, such as dams. These are the largest users of coal around Canada and would be the strongest blow we could land on climate change.The Canada Coal Transition Initiative was established to help Canadian workers transition without consequences. This initiative is helping by funding transition centres to keep Canadians in jobs and geothermal power plants to support communities transition to clean energy. This project will many jobs during construction, provide the province with clean energy and create business opportunities.

Most of Canada has embraced the initiative, and diminished coal from the electrical industry, specifically Ontario, has removed all of its coal power plants and produces zero coal-fired emissions. Less than 1% of Quebec's electricity comes from coal. Manitoba has also demolished its coal-energy industry and moved to cleaner energy sources.Some provinces have been having different problems with phasing out coal. These provinces are Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. These are also the provinces that account for the majority of GHG emissions in Canada.

Alberta's action plan on the coal phase-out started in November 2015 and is to replace all coal power generation facilities with either natural gas or renewable energy by 2030. They plan to have 70% of power generation from natural gases and 30% of power generation from renewable sources. They rely heavily on natural gases because of the abundance of it in Alberta.Some companies responsible for power generations have already started making the switch to this lower polluting option far before the 2030 goal.While this plan does require coal workers to be laid off, Alberta has a plan that can retrain these workers. They can train to know about natural gas power generation and will have enhancements towards their incentives such as employment insurance, income and the government providing payment for relocating workers. They also offer a tuition voucher of a maximum of $12,000 for any post-secondary education and career retraining that is within five years of the lay-off.

Saskatchewan has a peculiar plan, but it makes sense when looked at deeply. Saskatchewan agreed with Canada to keep using coal power plants.Though they are still going to make the transition to clean power, Saskatchewan is making the transition to natural gas, hydro, solar, and wind energy. Until they can, Saskatchewan will rely on a combination of coal power plants and eco-friendly energy sources.Saskatchewan has also developed a system called the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) system, where they catch the carbon remnant and store it. This technology was originally for a dam in Saskatchewan in 2014. They hope to use this technology to help other nations that rely on coal power keep using it with minimum consequences.

Nova Scotia's Climate Change plan was established in 2009 and targets more than just coal. Nova Scotia, along with its Green House Gas Emissions Regulation, has put emission caps on the electricity industry, meaning that all sources of power that cause GHG emissions have to pay a fine if they go over the emission cap.

New Brunswick committed to the coal phase-out as quickly as possible. Their idea was to eliminate coal from their power generation industry by 2030 (following the Paris Agreement's deadline) while still acknowledging the province's economy.They have provided $7 million in the investigation for cleaner fuel sources to keep the Belledune Generating Station running. They are eyeing hydrogen fuel sources as an adequate source of electricity, as well as biomass and natural gas.