Few success stories came out of this year’s COP. Nevertheless, we’ve compiled COP29’s five (very modest) achievements and five of its most notable failures.
On November 12, 2024, the Hague Appeals Court overturned a landmark 2021 decision ordering oil giant Shell to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 45% from 2019 levels by 2030.
On October 17, 2024, Ontario’s Court of Appeal sided with a group of young climate activists in its Mathur v Ontario decision, reviving a case against the province which was previously dismissed in April 2023.
On October 9, 2024, the Canadian government announced that it will establish a “Made-in-Canada” sustainable investing taxonomy, and institute mandatory climate disclosure requirements for large, federally-incorporated private companies.
On September 21st, 2020, the Canadian federal government accepted Ontario’s Emission Performance Standard (EPS) program as an alternative to the federal output-based pricing system (OBPS) that’s been in effect in the province since January 1st, 2019. Both programs are cap and trade-type emission pricing regimes designed to incentivize industrial polluters (e.g., pulp and paper facilities, base metal smelting facilities, etc.) to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
