Canada presenting itself as climate leader at COP31, despite policy rollbacks

Canada is positioning itself as a global climate leader during COP31 in Turkey, despite recent rollbacks of climate policies under Prime Minister Mark Carney. Despite the global climate pact committing signatories to sharply reduce emissions, recent UN reports indicate that this goal may be impossible, as emissions have not decreased rapidly enough.

The COP31 conference will focus on strategies to achieve emissions cuts necessary to keep global warming under 2 C, and ideally 1.5 C, by the end of the century. Prime Minister Carney will not attend the leaders' summit, but Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin will co-convene a ministerial meeting to discuss the Global Methane Pledge, a commitment by 159 countries to reduce global methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.

Canada is promoting methane mitigation at COP31, citing its high impact and cost-effectiveness in addressing emissions. The Canadian Climate Institute's latest report credits fugitive methane emission reductions as the main driver of lower emissions in Canada's oil and gas sector in 2025, despite increased production. However, Canada has delayed implementing its own methane regulations, which, along with other rollbacks, has drawn criticism from environmental advocates.

Environmental groups have urged meetings with Carney's aides and MPs to address their concerns about the government's environmental policy changes. The government has also abandoned work on a 2021 pledge to ban thermal coal exports without a formal directive, and delayed enforcing this ban through legislation. Canada is far from meeting its international commitment to reduce emissions by 40% of 2005 levels, and some reports suggest that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is also unrealistic.

Prime Minister Carney has faced criticism for backtracking on climate policies, including eliminating the consumer carbon price, weakening industrial carbon pricing, repealing the electric vehicle sales mandate, and canceling the oil and gas emissions cap.