13 July 2022
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, MP
Minister of Environment and Climate Change
House of Commons, Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0A6
Dear Minister Guilbeault, Re: Carbon Capture and Storage
The Canadian Association for the Club of Rome (CACOR) urges extreme caution in over-reliance on
the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reach Canada’s required emission reduction targets.
Given the results of research done as recently as 2021 (see Science Direct – reference
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332221005418, published in One Earth
Volume 4, Issue 11, 19 November 2021, Pages 1569-1584), it is clear that current planning projects
will achieve only 10% of the required capacity for CCS by 2050. Since much more must be done to
develop that capacity, other measures including regulation will be required to ensure that hard targets
are actually met – the outcome Canadians expect of your government.
The case for extreme caution is only enhanced by the June 22nd Hill Times article by Kathryn
Kavanagh indicating the enormous gap between proven sites, technological readiness, and the
amount of CO2 that must be extracted and stored to reach international targets.
In recent correspondence to you we shared a CACOR initiative: the development of, and the call for
adoption of, a Canadian Charter of Climate Change Rights and Responsibilities (see
https://canadiancor.com). The third Right named in that document states: “Policy Modification to
Ensure Emission Targets Are Met – Progress along chosen pathways must be carefully monitored
and new approaches implemented. Where progress is slower than anticipated, incentives, penalties
and regulation to limit emissions by law must be utilized as required, rather than allowing failure of
lowering targets.”
Can you assure us, Minister, that since CSS progress and milestones are proving to be wholly
inadequate to meet Canadian targets, you will undertake modifications and the adoption of additional
policies to ensure that Canada’s targets shall actually be met?
Canada cannot afford another failure over the next decade.
Most sincerely,
Jean Dougherty – Chair, The Canadian Association for the Club of Rome (CACOR)
[email protected]
cc: The Prime Minister, all Cabinet members, all MPs and Senate members, as well as the Globe and
Mail, National Post, Ottawa Citizen and Hill Times