Annual update of climate change business plan offers diverse view of progress to date

New and ongoing research and development initiatives feature prominently in the first update to the First National Climate Change Business Plan (FNBP) which was recently released to provide current details on the host of national and provincial measures now underway. The large list of projects — some significant, many minor — provide a scattershot view of the government’s innovation agenda as it relates to environmental sustainability and pollution reduction.

The FNBP approaches climate change on five fronts — reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, science, public awareness, risk management, and technology development. The progress report provides tables of actions approved and underway in each area, although no attempt has been made to provide an accounting of the monetary value of any initiatives.

In parallel, the task of reducing GHG emissions has been split over five broad themes. Under the theme of Promoting Technology Development Innovation, a Climate Change Technology Working Group has been established, co-chaired by senior officials from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Saskatchewan government. Projects on biofuels and renewable and conventional energy sources are underway, as are programs such as the Sustainable Development Technology Fund (SDTF) and the Research and Development for Innovative GHG Reduction Technologies (RDIRT).

In the case of the arm’s length SDTF, the legislation has not yet been proclaimed. And the RDIRT has yet to receive policy and/or budget approval, therefore no information is available on progress to date. Indeed, information is unavailable for a significant number of initiatives outlined in the document, making its value as a comprehensive time snapshot of activity questionable at best.

The second theme that directly involves S&T is Investing in Knowledge/Building the Foundation. This is the area where most scientific initiatives are grouped, although once again much information is unavailable and several projects such as the Climate Science Program are still in limbo until policy or budget approval is given.

Of the programs actually in operation or approved, several are of interest. BIOCAP, a non-profit foundation based at Queen’s Univ seems to have been given the go-ahead, although no announcement has been made to date. According to the report, BIOCAP’s articles of incorporation have been registered and its business plan has been approved. The organization is receiving federal funding to support research and policy networks for mitigating GHG emissions through bio-based carbon sinks and chemical and materials resources (R$, February 12/01). BIOCAP has also been mentioned in conjunction with the National Innovation Platform program recently initiated by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

An existing program that is being extended is the Impacts and Adaptation Program (IAP) from NRCan, which grew out of the Climate Change Action Fund and is aimed at all research sectors. Funded at $7.5 million over three years, it funded 76 projects of all sizes and is currently being re-financed at a higher level.

The IAP will focus on enhanced impacts and adaptation, fund the Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network, support research capacity building and develop a framework for adaptation policy development. The capacity building component is still in the early stages of development but will likely be funded in conjunction with NSERC and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Included in the FNBP progress report are valuable data on the sources of GHG emissions. The typical suspects in Canada’s battle to reduce emissions have not changed and remain agriculture, buildings, electricity generation and industry.

Within industry, the oil and gas sector, is a prime culprit and are minerals and mining and transportation (which accounts for 25% of total GHG emissions). Although emissions are flat or declining in these sectors, the growth of the sectors themselves means that emissions continue to increase, making Canada’s Kyoto commitments for 2010 all the more difficult to achieve.

The FNBP progress report can be found at www.nccp.ca under What’s New.

R$