The UCP government released its Alberta Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan Wednesday to reduce emissions based on "reality" in the province..Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said it will chart the province's course for cutting emissions, attracting investment, working with indigenous communities, and supporting well paid jobs without hurting or halting the economic activity our province is built on.."For decades, Alberta paved the way on climate and emissions reduction policy, building a reputation for world-class technological expertise and being a responsible, reliable and secure energy producer," Smith said.."The Alberta Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan outlines and expands on this practical and proven approach, and is yet another step in Alberta’s strong leadership to set policies and manage our provincial natural resources in a way that meets the unique needs of Albertans, our environment and our economy.".For Alberta, emissions reduction policy is more than environmental policy. According to the UCP government it's a strategic economic, energy, social, and industrial development policy..The UCP government said it's designed to provide the stability and predictability that industry and investors are looking for to ensure investment and economic growth..Global energy demand is expected to grow over the coming decades with a significant shift to lower-emitting energy production. The UCP government said Alberta can and should play a major role in meeting that demand. That includes lowering emissions in oil and gas production to remain competitive in a global market..This also includes supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to lower global emissions by replacing coal and in the longer-term exporting hydrogen to world markets.."This is an Alberta-made plan built with our expertise, our unique emissions profile and our economic circumstances at its heart," Smith said.."Instead of moving away from hydrocarbons, we will use these resources in innovative ways to ensure Alberta continues to provide the world with sustainably-produced energy and products.".The UCP government said Alberta has both a unique economy and emissions profile, with energy-intensive and trade-exposed industries and resources that contribute to a high quality of life in the province and across Canada. Alberta has an opportunity to dramatically reduce industrial emissions in the coming years and decades..Alberta’s approach is to work with industry, indigenous communities and organizations, municipal governments, academia, environmental organizations and others that are committed to emissions reductions. The UCP government said it continues to collaborate with stakeholders to develop effective policy frameworks and innovation, supporting realistic and achievable outcomes..The UCP government said work is underway and will be critical to charting the right pathways for Alberta to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.."Our approach to reducing emissions is based on reality, instead of unachievable targets set to random timelines," Smith said.."Our plan applies a provincial and global lens, and recognizes the need to adapt and pivot — taking into account geopolitical instability, energy security and a global move towards a lower-emission future.".Smith said she knows the province's plan will also need to rise to new opportunities, such as how Alberta can play a major role in lowering global emissions by replacing coal with liquefied natural gas now, and in the longer term by exporting hydrogen to world markets..'The Alberta Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan also represents our continued work to support democracy and human rights by displacing oil and gas from Russia, Venezuela and other, less democratic jurisdictions with weaker environmental standards compared to Alberta," Smith said.."Our plan underscores how Alberta can, and will, be a part of the solution to safeguard North American and global energy security," Smith said..Oil and Gas.The UCP government said the global energy system is undergoing unprecedented change. The disruptions caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine impacted all European countries and forced many to seek out more reliable markets for their energy.."Our province introduced Canada’s first climate plan in 1998, North America’s first industrial carbon price and emissions trading system in 2007, and was the first regional government in North America to set a methane emissions reduction target in 2015," Alberta Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Sonya Savage said.."We are on track to meet and exceed this methane reduction target four years ahead of schedule. We are also on track to transition from coal-fired electricity in 2023, seven years ahead of provincial and federal targets. On top of these incredible achievements, Alberta’s oil and gas industry has well-defined decarbonization plans, with targets backed by legitimate technology pathways.".Savage said the Pathways Alliance, a partnership of the six largest oil sands companies representing 95% of oil sands production, joined together with a goal to achieve net zero emissions from their operations by 2050.."Alberta’s aspiration of achieving a carbon neutral economy — net zero — by 2050 will take a dedicated and focused effort to achieve. This will require technologies that are not viable today to come to scale," Savage said.."It will require attracting billions of dollars of investment and providing a regulatory and investment climate that is predictable and certain. And, it will require working together with industry, indigenous communities and organizations, the financial community, federal and municipal governments and others to find viable pathways to reduce emissions in the most effective manner.".The UCP government said with energy security now a top priority of every country, Canada and Alberta can provide clean, reasonably priced, responsibly produced energy to insulate global partners from geopolitical risk and economic hardship..In particular, LNG distribution should be developed as a clean substitute for burning coal, which has become an unfortunate outcome of the war in Ukraine..Alberta’s vast gas reserves combined with a practical emission reduction plan should be a pathway to an emerging clean hydrogen economy, plastics recycling, and petrochemical diversification, as well as LNG..The UCP government said Alberta’s natural gas production is fully integrated, and it ensures all Canadians receive broader social economic benefits from the vital resources..Alberta’s oil sands represent 95% of Canada’s oil reserves. In 2021, Alberta produced 62% of Canada’s natural gas and 85% of Canada’s oil and equivalent..The UCP government said ensuring Alberta continues to responsibly produce its resources while reducing its emissions footprint is a cornerstone of the plan released Wednesday..Alberta released the first climate strategy in Canada in 1998, with subsequent strategies released in 2002, 2008 and 2015. The UCP government said the Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan builds off those previous strategies and the results that have been achieved from the policies.."Alberta’s approach remains founded on comprehensive policy and program frameworks to achieve ambitious yet achievable goals," the UCP government stated..In February, Smith sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, informing the federal government that a made-in-Alberta plan was on the way. Alberta’s government is calling on the federal government to stop setting unrealistic, unachievable targets, to stay in their lane and work with the provinces without interfering in provincial jurisdiction..Smith wrote families need to keep the lights on, buy groceries and have enough gas in their car to get their kids to soccer practice without carrying the burden of expensive government climate policies..Former premier Ralph Klein took the first step by putting out the first such plan in 1998..Since then, decades of hard work from the men and women who make their living in Alberta’s industries have led to today. The UCP said the plan Alberta’s government is unveiling salutes the work done by Albertans over decades, culminating in a significant focus over the last four years, and charts the province’s next steps. More work is yet to be done..“Alberta’s plan forward to reduce emissions while growing economic activity sets a course of success for our province. The conversation about emissions reduction must include energy security, affordability and reliability. This plan does exactly that," Savage said.
