Getting to Zero: Canada Confronts Global Warming

by Tony Clarke

Canadians have been coming to a greater understanding of the threat posed by global warming and the need for urgent action by governments, industry and the public at large. The Trudeau government has, more or less, taken up the cause. Provinces are recognizing the need for action, even as they fight over what that should be. Some multinational corporations are suddenly promoting themselves as environmental stewards. Concerned citizens are looking for ways to effectively reduce their carbon footprint. Yet progress has been slow and limited. In this book, long-time social and environmental activist Tony Clarke provides the hard-to-find information and analysis about what Canada is and is not doing right now to get to zero. He documents the key initiatives that are moving Canada towards a lower-carbon future. But he also spells out how contradictory government decisions and policies are enabling a business-as-usual approach by the oil and gas industry. In doing so, he examines how the Trudeau government promotes measures to reduce greenhouse gases ― but then also promotes pipelines that permit further expansion of Alberta's oil sands and new liquidied natural gas plants with enormous greenhouse gas outputs. As a participant in events surrounding the 2016 Paris climate summit and as a critic of Alberta's heedless oil sands expansion in his book Tar Sands Showdown , Tony Clarke combines a deep understanding of environmental issues with knowledge of how Canada's economic and political systems operate. He identifies many positive initiatives organized by various civil society groups taking us on the path to zero emissions. For him, effective citizen engagement and action are key to the serious changes needed to get Canada to zero.

248 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2018

About the author

Tony Clarke was a Canadian activist.

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're finding yourself wondering how we as Canadians can do our part to getting ourselves out of the mess that is climate change, this book is for you. It goes beyond sounding alarm bells, doesn't waste time promoting individual lifestyle changes as solutions and sets out the policies and changes that need to be implemented, including a just transition for energy workers. A timely book that identifies the lead-up to the 2019 federal election as a critical opportunity to push our elected officials to do better for our collective future.

[Caley Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye-opening exploration of Canada’s progress with lowering its carbon emissions prior to 2020. Much of the book has aged very well, correctly predicting the US’s trade war and abandonment climate change action under Trump. Unfortunately, it seems little has changed in Canada in terms of progress towards net-zero and some parts are a bit depressing for it. Still, the tone of the book is optimistic as Clarke describes in detail how Canada can move away from an extractivist economic approach to a new carbon-neutral one in the future. Readers who enjoyed The Carbon Code: How You Can Become a Climate Change Hero likely will appreciate this book also.