Canada and Sustainability: How We Compare Globally

1 Canada and Sustainability: Agenda 2030

One of the major ways that Canada has committed to global sustainability is through its agreement to the UN-wide Agenda 2030 policy, in which every involved country aims to achieve 17 distinct sustainable goals mentioned below: 

• No poverty – Attempting to eradicate the common nature of people living in poverty
• Zero hunger – Ensuring everyone has enough to eat globally
• Good health and well-being – Making good nutrition and healthcare readily available
• Quality education – Guaranteeing the quality of our youth’s futures
• Gender equality – Eradicating systemic misogyny and inequality
• Clean water and sanitation – The guarantee of the most basic human rights
• Affordable and clean energy – Making renewable sources more readily available
• Decent work and economic growth – Increasing access to good jobs globally
• Industry, innovation, and infrastructure – Shared technological advancements
• Reduced inequalities – Making the wealth and access gap smaller
• Sustainable cities and communities – Sustainability in both resources and coexistence
• Responsible consumption and production – Being mindful of consumer culture
• Climate action – Genuine steps to slow and stop global warming
• Life below water – Supporting healthy under-sea ecosystems
• Life on land – Protecting plants and ecosystems on dry land
• Peace, justice, and strong institutions – Stemming cultural unrest and dissatisfaction. 
• Partnerships for the goals – Countries cooperating toward the common goal

But out of the 193 participating countries, how is Canada doing? When you study their report to the UN, you can see that they have made clear efforts in the fight against gender inequality, climate change, and economic disparity. 

Their Feminist International Assistance Policy and promised $3.8 billion in the name of female education are great hallmarks of their progress. Also, the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change is a clear structure that showcases their steps in the right direction. 

However, the report also shows regression in other areas. Food insecurity and the need for housing are increasing, while access to water amongst indigenous people is only going down. The report makes efforts to emphasize public spending, but there are gaps that only seem to be getting wider.

In a global context, Canada isn’t doing its best at diversifying the stakeholders in the process of achieving its sustainable development goals (SDGs). Germany, for example, has launched a Partners for Review scheme, bringing in a number of politicians, civil servants, scientists, and industrialists to help with the implementation of the goals.

2 Canada and Sustainability: Sustainable Agriculture in Canada

Canada has made some interesting, yet questionable choices when it comes to its agriculture and farming techniques. In some cases, it seems that efforts were made with good intentions, only to result in unnecessary work being done. 

Such was the case with deer, wolves, and cougars, which were essentially forced into remote areas and out of Southern Ontario. This caused the deer population to boom, which in turn threatened the population of the plant species that they were eating, including trilliums, which are endangered plants. The result was that a cull was necessary to bring the population of deer back to more sustainable levels.

3 Canada and Sustainability: Transport & Emission Reduction

Despite Canada’s relatively small population, it is the world’s tenth-largest producer of greenhouse gases. For context, the UK has a population of around 56 million—18 million more than Canada—yet only ranks at number 17 in the world. 

However, Canada is taking steps to reduce its emissions, aiming to reduce output by 66 megatons by 2020, equivalent to removing 20 million cars from the road.  This contrasts with the US, where despite Biden’s climate agenda, US CO2 emissions rose by 52 million tons in the first three months of 2022 after steady rises in the last couple of years.

Some of the steps Canada has taken towards a more sustainable transport culture include: 

• Setting the target that 100% of new light-duty cars and passenger trucks sold will be zero-emission by 2035.
• Investing $450 million since 2016 for programs that help set up and support the deployment of more well-maintained electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
• Establishing a $660 million Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Program to encourage and incentivize more people to use ZEVs.
• A $14.9 billion investment into public transport infrastructure, which encompasses zero-emissions buses, sustainable subway lines, light-rail transit and streetcars, and general advancements in rural transit.

The above are some good moves. Canada plans on doing much more to achieve its part in the Agenda 2030 UN initiative, which they seem hopeful about despite its ambitious nature. 

4 Canada and Sustainability: Final Thoughts

While these are some great steps being made in the right direction, there’s still plenty to be done in the way of Canada becoming a world leader in the realm of sustainability. While Canada is doing its part and making larger leaps than some other developed nations, it’s clear that we still have something of a disproportionate impact on the environment. 

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