
The End of Coal: Ontario’s coal phase-out
Ontario has successfully implemented its policy to put an end to coal use in 2014. This energy transition has become “the single largest GHG reduction measure in North America”: since 2007, when coal accounted for about 25 per cent of its electricity generation, Ontario has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 34 Mt or 17 per cent.
What lessons can be learned from Ontario’s coal phase-out experience? How can its success be replicated in other parts of the globe? This paper explores this question for all those around the world who may draw inspiration and lessons learned from Ontario: policy-makers, campaigners, entrepreneurs and others interested in transitioning to a low-carbon future.
We rely on the concept of the “window of opportunity” and suggest that all elements critical to a sustainable energy transition can be clustered within the four “panes” of this “window”: context, champions, concerns and complementary policies. These “panes” provide the basis for the structure of this paper. This analysis has been informed by a comprehensive review of existing literature and semi-structured interviews with high-level experts from Canadian political and academic circles, industry and civil society.
Participating experts
You might also be interested in
Canada’s Energy Future Must Be Guided by Credible 1.5°C Scenarios
The Canada Energy Regulator has been directed to model the country's energy transition in a way that aligns with the Paris Accord goal of keeping global warming within 1.5°C. This is a first, and it's a key opportunity to help decision-makers prepare for radically different global energy markets.
The Final Countdown: How Canada can end fossil fuel subsidies this year
The conversation on ending fossil fuel subsidies in Canada has been hanging like a dark cloud over the country, with years of pledges failing to lead to concrete action. But the skies may finally clear in the coming months with the release of Canada's long-awaited subsidies framework and policy.
Feds should not waste their $15-billion Canada Growth Fund on carbon capture for oil
The $15-billion Canada Growth Fund, emphasized in the 2023 federal budget and aimed at accelerating decarbonization, is a landmark opportunity to align substantial climate action with a thriving national economy.
Le Danemark sort des énergies fossiles. Y a-t-il des leçons pour le Canada? (in French)
Après plus d’une décennie passée à réfléchir aux combustibles fossiles et aux changements climatiques, Angela Carter cherchait une « lueur d’espoir » pour inspirer le Canada avec des visions alternatives de ce que pourrait devenir une société dépendante du pétrole et du gaz.