Edmonton - Alberta Liberal Shadow Environment Minister David Swann says the provincial government is once again failing to show leadership on climate change with their new strategy announced today.

“Albertans and scientists have been calling for a real commitment to reducing emissions and we’re not seeing that here,” says Swann. “By 2050, this government’s target for emission levels is only 14 per cent below 2005 levels. That’s simply not good enough.”

Swann says today’s plan contains no specific commitments or timelines, and fails to meet the targets established by the federal government’s plan.

“This plan has been delayed for 15 years, and it’s still falling far behind the targets set by other jurisdictions, including the federal government,” says Swann. “We need to provide one harmonized set of rules for industry to follow.”

“This is the same government that spent $2 million in 2002 trying to convince Albertans climate change was not a concern. Now they’re trying to download responsibility onto individuals for reducing emissions. All Albertans need to do their share, from individuals to heavy emitters. But where we need to see real leadership is on public policy.”

An Alberta Liberal government would take the following steps to address climate change:

Implement hard caps on carbon emissions within five years and increase emissions intensity reductions in the interim.
Implement carbon capture and storage methods in the interim.
Implement an aggressive greening of the electricity sector through incentives to invest in renewable energy sources.
Transform the natural gas rebate program into a fund that would provide direct funding for climate change initiatives.
Aggressively pursue a long-term transportation strategy, including assembling land for a high speed rail route between Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.
Establish an all-party legislative committee on climate change to lead public and industry consultation on real emissions reduction targets and timelines.

“If we continue to delay on addressing climate change, our economy and our quality of life will suffer,” says Swann. “By investing in green technologies in Alberta, we can create a new economic opportunity and lead on climate change technology.”

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For more information, contact:

Yolande Cole
Media Liaison, Alberta Liberal Caucus
(780) 446-6868

or

David Swann
Shadow Environment Minister
(403) 614-5208

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