OTTAWA (Reuters) -The Canadian government’s emissions reduction plan is insufficient to meet its target to cut emissions by 40% to 45% below the 2005 level by 2030, a report released by the country’s auditor general said on Tuesday.
An audit found the government’s plan insufficient because key measures needed to meet the 2030 target were delayed or not prioritized, according to a statement from the office of the auditor general.
Falling short of the minimum 40% target for 2030 would mean Canada missing its commitment under the United Nations’ Paris Agreement on climate change.
Canada last year released its first real roadmap to meeting 2030 climate targets, laying out detailed plans and C$9.1 billion ($6.6 billion) in new spending to cut planet-warming carbon emissions after years failing to meet its goals.
The audit found that responsibility for reducing emissions was fragmented among multiple federal entities not directly accountable to Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Minister, making progress and course correction difficult.
Canada has missed every emissions reduction target it has ever set but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly said fighting climate change was one of his government’s top priorities.
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry DeMarco, who drafted the report, said the government could still meet its 2030 target “with drive, focus, and leadership”.
The audit found that the plan had potentially strong measures for reducing emissions, such as carbon pricing and regulations, but it also has many weaknesses, “including missing and inconsistent information and unreliable projections that hindered the plan’s credibility”.
($1 = 1.3750 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; editing by David Evans)
