paris agreement contribution (“ndc”) paris agreement · 2019. 12. 6. · the right honourable...

1

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. Prime Minister

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

Re: Canada’s Emissions Reduction Targets

The planet we call home is rapidly warming. Over the last 250 years, global temperatures rose to

1.0°C above pre-industrial levels. Today, the world warms at the alarming rate of 0.1-0.3°C per

decade.i Disturbed by this acceleration, the international community came together in 2015 to

form the Paris Agreement, pledging to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to

well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue “efforts to limit the temperature increase

to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”ii We write to you today regarding this global goal.

Limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5°C will not fully prevent the negative impacts of

climate change,iii but it will reduce the scope and severity of devastation worldwide. As the

United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”) warns, even a total

warming of 2°C will expose hundreds of millions of additional people to water scarcity, heat

waves, and lower crop yields, imposing additional burdens on governments to respond to these

challenges and protect vulnerable populations.iv

As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, Canada is obliged to prepare a Nationally Determined

Contribution (“NDC”) declaring its emissions reduction target, and “pursue domestic mitigation

measures” to work to achieve its NDC.v The Paris Agreement also calls for each state’s NDC to

“reflect its highest possible ambition... [as well as] its common but differentiated responsibilities

and respective capabilities”.vi

This agreement is a noble appeal, but it lacks the authority to enforce its directions. States’

targets are not required to align with global pathways to limit warming to 1.5°C. Further,

national targets do not need to represent a proportionate or fair share of the global reductions

required under such pathways. In short, a country can set its target as it wishes, and there is no

international legal obligation to achieve it.

Canada’s 2030 emissions reduction target, created by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s

administration in 2015, calls for Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to 30% below

2005 levels.vii As this target is not enshrined into any domestic legislation, it remains a non-

binding commitment. Although Canada does not have a 2050 emissions reduction target, we

applaud the federal party’s recent election promise to introduce a net-zero 2050 emissions

reduction target and legally-binding five-year interim targets to work towards this goal.viii

We also appreciate the federal efforts taken to reduce emissions over the last four years,

including the adoption of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change

and dedicated work to enact a price on carbon pollution across Canada,ix the commitment to

phase-out coal-fired electricity,x and new regulations to reduce methane emissions.xi

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Despite these undertakings, however, Canada is not on track to meet its 2030 target. Projecting

two possible policy trajectories, Environment and Climate Change Canada predicts that Canada’s

emissions in 2030 will exceed our emissions target by approximately 93 or 178 megatonnes of

carbon dioxide equivalent.xii An additional 93 megatonnes, however, is more than all of

Quebec’s emissions in 2017.xiii Canada, alongside South Korea and Australia, are the G20

members furthest from meeting their 2030 targets.xiv

As Canadians who study or teach law, we understand the role of legislation to inform and justify

government action. For this reason, we call on Canada to legislate its emissions reduction targets

and create binding domestic obligations to meet these targets. Further, we call for Canada to

adopt 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets that comply with limiting global warming to

1.5°C.

Specifically, we urge the Canadian government to:

1) Strengthen Canada’s 2030 Target to Reduce Emissions By 55% Below 2005 levels

To limit warming to 1.5°C, the IPCC calls for global emissions to be reduced by 2030 to 45%

below 2010 levels, and reach global net-zero emissions by mid-century.xv The IPCC foretells that

merely seeking to increase the scale and ambition of global efforts after 2030, and carrying out

existing national policies in the meantime, will ensure global warming of more than 1.5°C.xvi

Each state could simply call for a 45% reduction of emissions below 2010 levels. (In Canada,

such a target would be equivalent to calling for a 48% reduction below 2005 levels—a marked

increase from Canada’s present target.xvii) However, this approach would unduly burden many

states, and ignore the fact that a handful of countries, including Canada, are both

disproportionately responsible for the emissions in our atmosphere and more financially capable

to undertake the efforts needed to reduce emissions.

Canada is responsible for 1.7-1.8% of the cumulative emissions in our atmosphere,xviii and is the

10th highest-emitting state today.xix Its per capita emissions are more than 2.5 times the G20

average, and its GDP per capita is more than double the G20 average.xx Whether fairness is

defined by assessing states’ historical responsibility, present emissions, or capability, Canada’s

“fair share” of emissions reduction is certainly more than an equal state or per-capita allocation.

Climate Action Tracker, who considers states’ fair emissions reduction targets using several

equity lenses (including responsibility and capability), suggests that Canada’s fair emissions

reduction target is 55% below 2005 levels by 2030.xxi

2) Introduce and Legislate a Net-Zero 2050 Emissions Reduction Target

A net-zero 2050 target would align Canada with the 65+ other countries who have already

committed to net-zero emissions by the year 2050 (at the latest).xxii Several of these states have

passed legislation to bind these targets, including the United Kingdom, Denmark, France,

Sweden, Scotland, and most recently, New Zealand.xxiii

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3) Put forward legally-binding five-year reduction targets to marshal a path towards a

2050 target

Short and medium-term milestone targets help guide mitigation efforts towards a long-term

reduction target. While some countries have legislated interim emissions reduction targets, other

jurisdictions have, alternatively or additionally, legislated carbon budgets.

For instance, the UK’s Climate Change Act requires mandatory economy-wide five-year carbon

budgets.xxiv Denmark’s newly-elected Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has also pledged to

introduce legislation with binding sub-targets and long-term targets.xxv Scotland’s Climate

Change Act sets annual carbon budgets and contains interim targets for the years 2020, 2030, and

2040,xxvi and Sweden has also adopted interim targets for the years 2020, 2030, and 2040.xxvii

We encourage Canada to learn from these efforts and develop and legislate interim reduction

targets and/or carbon budgets.

Climate Emergency Warrants Heightened Climate Action

In June 2019 the federal government declared a climate emergency, and today more than 400

Canadian municipalities have similarly declared such emergencies.xxviii We also call attention to

the federal government’s recent usage of the “national emergency” branch of the Peace, Order

and Good Government (“POGG”) power to establish a federal carbon pricing system, which the

David Suzuki Foundation considers to be a response to the “risk that Canada will miss the tight

deadline to fulfill” its Paris Agreement commitments.xxix

Given that the G20 members are together responsible for 80 percent of global annual GHG

emissions,xxx these states’ actions will dictate the success of the Paris Agreement. Yet the

Climate Change Performance Index, which ranks the climate action of high-emitting countries,

placed Canada 54th out of 60 in 2019.xxxi We know that Canada can and must do better.

In 2018, Canada noted its commitment to exploring “the possibilities for stepping up our

ambition.”xxxii We urge Canada to step up its ambition and set out a more stringent 2030

emissions reduction target, establish a net-zero 2050 emissions target, and commit to legislating

these targets in the upcoming Speech from the Throne.

As states are presently invited to update their NDCs prior to 2020,xxxiii we also suggest that

Canada formalize its commitment to establish these targets by updating its NDC accordingly.

This would demonstrate to the world that Canada understands both the urgency and scale of

effort required to address this climate emergency, and is willing to do its part to limit further

global warming.

Sincerely,

456 Law Student & Faculty Member Signatories from 18 Canadian law schools (Table 1)

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Cc. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment & Climate Change

Canada

Table 1- List of Law Student & Faculty Member Signatories

Name

Year of Law School or

Faculty Position Institution

Christie McLeod 4L (joint degree) Osgoode Hall Law School

Paul Guglielmo 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Annalise Beube 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Edith Barabash 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Hasan Mehedi LLM Osgoode Hall Law School

Luther Kadima 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Nora Parker 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Lauren McClanaghan 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Samara Friszman 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Emma Hobbs 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Rebecca Gill 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Grace Hermansen 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Patrick McCaugherty 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Matthew Wray 3L

Thompson Rivers University Faculty

of Law

Jenny YC Lee 2L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Alexandra Chapman LLM Peter A. Allard School of Law

Isabel Davila Pereira 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Abiramy Uthirakumaran 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Adam Lee 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Sally Hart 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Urooj Zaman 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Corey LeBlanc 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Emma Douglas 1L Schulich School of Law

Cydney Kane 3L Schulich School of Law

Cohen Hocking 3L


of Law

Clare Robinson 3L Schulich School of Law

5

Sierra Hardy 3L


of Law

Maeve McCabe 1L Schulich School of Law

Emma Bott 2L


of Law

Audrey Axten 1L Schulich School of Law

Calen Janzen 3L


of Law

Michelle Berube 1L Schulich School of Law

Alexandra Comber 2L


of Law

Aaron Walchuk 1L


of Law

Andrew Hefford 2L


of Law

Kyle Wallis 1L


of Law

Aaron Koch 1L Schulich School of Law

Peter Hillson 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Jillana Schmidt 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Tiana Reid 3L


of Law

Jason Fitzpatrick 3L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Dan Lintaman 3L


of Law

Joey Levesque 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Derek Odgers 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Krystal-Anne Barber 3L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Logan Rogers 3L


of Law

Jina Jeong 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Genevieve Giesbrecht 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Samara Muise 2L Schulich School of Law

Julia Roe 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Lucas Johnson 1L


of Law

Erika Hertz 1L Schulich School of Law

6

Taylor Stone 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Barry Tanner 1L Schulich School of Law

Kareem Ibrahim 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Jacob Harrigan 2L


of Law

Stepan Wood

Professor; Canada

Research Chair in Law,

Society and

Sustainability Peter A. Allard School of Law

Gus Van Harten Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

Junhyung Lee 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Tegan Heywood 1L Schulich School of Law

Helena Friesen 1L Schulich School of Law

Meghan Hand 1L Schulich School of Law

Mona Campbell 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Jessica Cheng 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Richelle Martin 2L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Ben Coles 1L Schulich School of Law

Marshall Mackoff 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Emily Prosser 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Julia Kalinina 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Grace Shin 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Leslie Anne St. Amour 3L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Claudia Wheler 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Joshua W. P. White 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Emily Rempel 2L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Jenna Jeffrey 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Alora Fortino 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Keith Murkin 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Amy Clark 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Marina Djurdjevic 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Jessica Bevilacqua 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Jordan Armstrong 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Ilona Larionova 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

7

Bradley Wiseman 4L (joint degree)

Université de Montréal Faculty of

Law

Lauren Graham 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Andrew Luba 2L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Jocelyn Stacey Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law

Eunize Lao 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Paige Marvel 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Cameron Pollock 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Emma Moore 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Cal Burkosky 2L


of Law

Alanna McInnes 3L


of Law

Estair Van Wagner Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

Leah Kelley 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

David Estrin

Adjunct Professor

(International

Environmental Law) Osgoode Hall Law School

Shin Imai Professor Emeritus Osgoode Hall Law School

Laura Balagus 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Susan Drummond Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

François Tanguay-

Renaud Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

Jean-Pierre D'Angelo 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Lavallee Forbes 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Madeleine Carswell 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Irmak Aydemir 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Sara Karma 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Adam LaRiviere 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Ryan Deshpande 2L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Dayna Scott

Professor; York

Research Chair in

Environmental Law &

Justice in the Green

Economy Osgoode Hall Law School

Eileen Church Carson 3L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

8

Madeleine Andrew-Gee 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Adil Abdulla 3L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Nargis Fazli 3L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Willem Crispin-Frei 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Rory Smith 3L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Ilona Dragalin 3L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Lauren Wildgoose 3L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Paul Maharg Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

Elizabeth Benoy 1L Queen's University Faculty of Law

Olivia Whynot 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Michelle LaFortune 2L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Catherine Litinsky 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Eric Tucker Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

Amy Chen 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Darby O'Hara 2L


of Law

Mitchell Dawson 1L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Beth Burnstein 3L Queen's University Faculty of Law

Logan Salm 3L

University of Saskatchewan College

of Law

Fay Faraday Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

Courtenay Catlin 3L


of Law

Emily O’Keefe 2L Queen's University Faculty of Law

Andrew Easto 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Jenine Urquhart 3L


of Law

Gillian Fortlage 1L


of Law

Tyler Joorisity 1L


of Law

Leandra Keren 2L Queen's University Faculty of Law

Allyse Cruise 3L


of Law

Spencer Bossaer 2L


of Law

9

Madeline Stewart 2L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Claire Stempien 3L


of Law

Sam Werger 2L Queen's University Faculty of Law

Lucy Yao 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Jeffrey Meyers Professor


of Law

Andrew Pilliar Professor


of Law

Katie Lawless 1L University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Krystal Bernhardt 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Emily Thorpe 3L


of Law

Alexa Adams 3L


of Law

Melissa Nelson 3L


of Law

Gillian Harrington 2L


of Law

Alexandre Lillo

PhD Law Student;

Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Amita Persad-Ford 3L Queen's University Faculty of Law

Alexandra Machicado-

McGee 3L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Edward Waitzer

Professor; Jarislowsky

Dimma Mooney Chair

in Corporate

Governance Osgoode Hall Law School

Charlotte Hobson 1L Schulich School of Law

Julia Witmer 1L Schulich School of Law

Vincent J.Carbonneau 3L


Law

Anita Nowinka 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Victor Rousseau 1L


Law

Katherine McDonnell 3L


of Law

Vista Namdarian 2L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

10

Samira Ait Kaci Ali 2L


Law

Janet Mosher Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

Madeleine Chauvet 2L


of Law

Benjamin Berger

Professor; York

Research Chair in

Pluralism and Public

Law Osgoode Hall Law School

Audrey-Anne Beaudry 2L


Law

Alandra Jessup 2L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Glenn Wright 3L


of Law

David Pollock 1L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Jason Birring 2L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Laura Bullock 1L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Chris Wiebe 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Diana Borges 3L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Kent McNeil Professor Emeritus Osgoode Hall Law School

Audréanne Poulin 3L


Law

Shaun Langlois 3L


of Law

Kyle Ramsey 1L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Aadil Nathani 3L

University of Windsor Faculty of

Law

Sara Seck Professor Schulich School of Law

Aldo Chircop

Professor; Canada

Research Chair in

Maritime Law & Policy Schulich School of Law

Katie Short 2L Schulich School of Law

Simon Bossen 3L


of Law

Vanessa Roberts 1L


of Law

Margot Young Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law

Jennifer Nadler Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

11

Damey Lee 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Gabrielle Pellerin 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Daniel Glover

Adjunct Professor

(Intellectual Property) Osgoode Hall Law School

Ryan Chawner 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Annesta Duodu 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Karen Drake Professor Osgoode Hall Law School

Christopher Watt 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Dana Poscente 2L University of Calgary Faculty of Law

Omelia Tedesco-White 3L University of Calgary Faculty of Law

Anita Osmani 1L


Law

Jennifer Adam 3L

University of New Brunswick Faculty

of Law

Anneke Smit Professor


Law

Michael Damyanovich 1L


of Law

Peter Dalglish 3L


Law

Lauren Kempers 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Mary Jane Mossman Professor Emerita Osgoode Hall Law School

Sarah Cormack 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Mariette Brennan Professor Bora Laskin Faculty of Law

Maria Patterson 2L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Natalive Potvin 2L University of Calgary Faculty of Law

Allison Bigg 1L


of Law

Bianca Salive 3L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Paige Mueller 2L


of Law

Aaron Moizis 1L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Jasdeep Sidhu 1L


of Law

Zi Chang Song 2L


of Law

12

Caitlin Kessler 2L


of Law

Delani Buchan 2L


of Law

Xuanqi (Hedy) He 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Molly Murphy 3L


of Law

Jason Wright 3L


of Law

Anne-Lise Bloch 2L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Melissa Perrier 2L


of Law

Jamie Cooper 3L


of Law

Brett Benham 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Ritika Nanda 2L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Larissa Donovan 2L


of Law

Travis Smith 2L


of Law

Elek Reitsma 1L Queen's University Faculty of Law

Gemma Smyth Professor


Law

Rachel Poon 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Noemie Tremblay 2L


Law

Marie Turcott 2L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Benjamin Richard 3L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Felice Yeung 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Claudia Tsang 3L


Law

Marisa McGarry 2L


of Law

Simon Barry 2L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Ali Tejani 3L


Law

Sebastian di Domenico 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

13

Arjun Hair 3L


of Law

Nicole O'Byrne Professor


of Law

Kendra Murray 3L


of Law

Mary Hong 2L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Pierre Courteau Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

George Brown Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Jasmine Gill 3L


of Law

Diane Hwang 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Jessi McKenzie 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Lynda Collins Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Faheem Kamran 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Sana Fatima 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Erin Durant Part-Time Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Rita Yousif 1L


of Law

Chris Sherrin Professor Western Law

Julianna Duholke 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Sébastien Jodoin Professor McGill University Faculty of Law

Emily Knox 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Corrine Tansowny 1L McGill University Faculty of Law

Amélie Laurin-Gravel 4L McGill University Faculty of Law

Baljinder Bains 1L


of Law

Alexander Overton 2L Western Law

Fiona Burnett 2L Western Law

Shannon Dawson 2L Western Law

David How 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Mikaela Kyle 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Pierre-Gabriel Grégoire 4L McGill University Faculty of Law

Diyana Noory 1L Western Law

Siddhartha Beausoleil 4L McGill University Faculty of Law

14

Jenny Yu 3L Western Law

Catherine Laperrière 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Diane Harbin 2L Western Law

Ashley Maciuk 3L Western Law

Adrian Halpert 3L


Law

Gabriel D'Astous 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Cody Dumas 2L


of Law

Anna Gignac-Eddy 1L McGill University Faculty of Law

Nemee Bedar 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Hilary Young Professor


of Law

Kathleen Adams 3L


of Law

Zoe Christmas 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Julia Redmond 4L McGill University Faculty of Law

Erin Sobat 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Maya Gunnarsson 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Leah Singer 3L Peter A. Allard School of Law

Chris Liang 1L McGill University Faculty of Law

Emilie Duchesne 4L McGill University Faculty of Law

Kaitlin Cook 1L


of Law

Geoffrey Turner

Adjunct Professor

(Taxation of Business

Enterprises) Osgoode Hall Law School

Perry Yung 3L Schulich School of Law

Sonya Vey 2L


of Law

Wayne Walton 2L


of Law

Rebecca Buxon 1L


of Law

Graeme Hiebert 1L


of Law

Aliosha Hurry 1L McGill University Faculty of Law

15

Veysi Inci 1L


of Law

Isaac McLellan 1L


of Law

Jocelyn Heaton 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Francois Crepeau Professor McGill University Faculty of Law

Anah Mirza 2L Western Law

Sheema Rezaei 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Ali Imrie 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Payden Shrubb 2L Western Law

Genevieve Shemie 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Pri Sharma 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Patricia Galvao Ferreira Professor


Law

Vishal Verma 1L


of Law

Anne Lewis 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Jessica Jakubowski 3L


Law

Penelope Simons

Professor; Vice Dean

Research University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

David Fewer

General Counsel of

CIPPIC (Samuelson-

Glushko Canadian

Internet Policy and

Public Interest Clinic) University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Jena McGill Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Jennifer Del Riccio 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Charis Kamphuis Professor


of Law

Mohammad Fadel Professor University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Michael Trebilcock Professor University of Toronto Faculty of Law

William Kendon 3L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Alice Xiao 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Colleen Flood

Professor; University of

Ottawa Research Chair

in Health Law & Policy. University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

16

Noel Semple Professor


Law

Courtenay Jacklin 3L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Ferial Fekri 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Lauren Dewar 1L


of Law

Sarah Dalton 1L


of Law

Anne Levesque Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Samuil Rosenov

Stoychev 4L McGill University Faculty of Law

Larissa Parker 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Kjell Anderson Professor Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Kiana Saint-Macary 1L McGill University Faculty of Law

Ryan Faulkner 1L McGill University Faculty of Law

Zoe Stevens 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Martha Jackman Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Jill Bender 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Ashley Laurino 1L


of Law

Caroline Rouleau 3L McGill University Faculty of Law

Bonnie Hassanzadeh 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Alexand Potamianosra 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Emma De Paoli 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Erika Richards 2L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Emily Kot 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Phoebe Goldig 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Virginia Duarte Walsh 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Sunny Garcha 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Abir Shamim 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Jack Fallon 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Daniel Bleiwas 1L


of Law

Lindsay Correia 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Ryan Ng 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

17

Richard Du 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Patrick Cajvan 4L Osgoode Hall Law School

Sama Omar 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Kent Wakely 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Emily Papsin 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Sebastian Romanutti 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Catherine Andrews 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Sarah Raja 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Quinn Rochon 3L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Sara Maya Bhandar 1L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Macinly Fram 1L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Aditi Iyer 2L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Hannah van Mook 1L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Uganec Zackary 1L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Aryan Pour-Bahreini 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Tomi Milos 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Kristen Steele 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Madison Pelham 1L


of Law

Sanya Tandon 2L Bora Laskin Faculty of Law

Josiah Schaafsma 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Nicky Kim 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Michaela Aeberhardt 1L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Sebastian Becker 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Cate White 2L University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Joanna Tatar 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Samhita Misra 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Shirley Yan 2L


of Law

Shanika Gordon 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Angel Liang 2L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Erin MacDonald 1L


of Law

18

Rod Northey

Adjunct Faculty

(Environmental Law) Osgoode Hall Law School

Maya Koparkar 1L


Law

Haritha Popuri 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Natasha Bakht Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Steve Coughlan Professor Schulich School of Law

Adriana Cefis 3L McGill University Faculty of Law

Nathalie Chalifour Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Jake Bennett 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Jonathan Andrews 3L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Alexandre Dumais 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Jacqueline Pelland 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Darren Pawella 3L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Diana Stepner 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Lidia Hencic 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Heather McLeod-

Kilmurray Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Melina Venuto 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Meghan Bjorklund 2L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Victoria Truong 3L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Leah Suderman 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Joanne Suderman Professor University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Matti Thurlin 2L Osgoode Hall Law School

Shaden Abusaleh 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Carolyn Grandy 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Silas Koulack 2L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Leigh Clark 3L Western Law

Luke Rowan 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Graham Reeder 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Katherine Brydges 1L


of Law

Stuart Werner 1L


of Law

19

Tanner Gervin 1L


of Law

Aman Taggar 3L


of Law

Marina Landry 3L


of Law

Mira Dosanjh 3L


of Law

Will Fraser 2L


of Law

Nicholas Todd 1L


of Law

Shaylan Cottick 3L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Tony Duarte

Adjunct Professor

(Entertainment Law) Osgoode Hall Law School

Casey Bee 3L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Lubna El Mugammar 1L


of Law

Trevor Sicotte 3L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Verity Thomson 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Rose Morgan 1L


of Law

Danielle Dekeyser 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Sejeong Park 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Alysha Li 3L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Kate Dueck 3L


of Law

Jasmine Somal 2L


of Law

Allie Harrington 1L


of Law

Brett Book 1L


of Law

Robin Hira 2L


of Law

Tiffany Barone 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Antonio Barraza-Luna 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Allison Kilgour 1L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

20

Jason Ronsley 1L


of Law

Simone Marcoux 2L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Justin Leung 2L


of Law

Attou Mamat 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Camila Franco 1L McGill University Faculty of Law

Tamara Ruzic 3L


of Law

David Wiebe 2L Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Mahta Talani 1L Osgoode Hall Law School

Kevin Berk LLM Osgoode Hall Law School

Miscia Sullivan 3L Osgoode Hall Law School

Candace Hilchuk 2L Bora Laskin Faculty of Law

Noah Garver 1L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Corinna Steffen 2L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Tunahan Uygun 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Rebecca Ro 2L Western Law

Hadrian Jiang 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Megan Ferguson 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Samreet Gill 1L


of Law

Gurpreet Toor 2L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Kira Davidson 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Sharmeen Batra 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Alison Gondosch 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Julia Amelio 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Nicholas Petrozzi 1L Bora Laskin Faculty of Law

Eva Monteiro 2L McGill University Faculty of Law

Daniel Mulroy 1L Bora Laskin Faculty of Law

Kanan Gandhi 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Jason Moore 1L University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Dylan Hanwell 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Maddison Croden 3L University of Alberta Faculty of Law

21

Erin Dobbelsteyn LLM University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Matthew Rynen 2L Western Law

i IPCC, “Summary for Policymakers” in V Masson-Delmotte et al, eds, Global warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special

Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas

emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable

development, and efforts to eradicate poverty (Geneva, Switzerland: World Meteorological Organization, 2018)

[IPCC, Summary for Policymakers 2018] at 4, 6. ii United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Adoption of the Paris Agreement, 21st Sess,

FCCC/CP/2015/L9/Rev 1 (2015) [Adoption of Paris], art 2.1(a).

iii IPCC, “Sustainable Development, Poverty Eradication and Reducing Inequalities” in V Masson-Delmotte et al,

eds, Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C Above Pre-

industrial Levels & Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in the Context of Strengthening the Global

Response to the Threat of Climate Change, Sustainable Development, & Efforts to Eradicate Poverty (Geneva,

Switzerland: World Meteorological Organization, 2018) 445 at 447. iv Ibid at 453. This statistic is in comparison to the harms caused by allowing 1.5°C of global warming to occur.

v Adoption of Paris, supra note ii, art 4(2).

vi Ibid, art 4(3).

vii Government of Canada, “Canada’s INDC Submission to the UNFCCC” (last visited 3 November 2019), online:

UNFCCC <www4.unfccc.int/sites/ndcstaging/PublishedDocuments/Canada%20First/INDC%20-%20Canada%20-

%20English.pdf>. viii Victoria Gibson, “Liberals promise net-zero emissions by 2050, offer sparse detail on path ahead” (24 September

2019), online: iPolitics <ipolitics.ca/2019/09/24/liberals-promise-net-zero-emissions-by-2050/>. ix “Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change: Canada’s Plan to Address Climate Change and

Grow the Economy” (2016), online: Government of Canada <www.canada.ca/content/dam/themes/

environment/documents/weather1/20161209-1-en.pdf>. x “Canada’s coal power phase-out reaches another milestone” (last modified 12 December 2018), online:

Government of Canada <www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2018/12/canadas-coal-power-phase-

out-reaches-another-milestone.html>. xi Regulations Respecting Reduction in the Release of Methane and Certain Volatile Organic Compounds

(Upstream Oil and Gas Sector), SOR/2018-66 (2018). xii “2018 Canada's Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollutant Emissions Projections” (2018) at vi, online (pdf): Environment

and Climate Change Canada <publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/eccc/En1-78-2018-eng.pdf>. xiii “Greenhouse gas emissions” (last modified 17 April 2019), online: Government of Canada

<www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/greenhouse-gas-

emissions.html> [Greenhouse Gas Emissions]. xiv “Brown to Green: The G20 Transition Towards a Net-Zero Emissions Economy 2019” (2019) at 7, online (pdf):

Climate Transparency <www.climate-transparency.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Brown-to-Green-Report-

2019.pdf> [Brown to Green, G20 Transition]. xv Ibid at 14.

xvi IPCC, Summary for Policymakers 2018, supra note i at 20.

xvii Greenhouse gas emissions, supra note xiii.

xviii Eric Kemp-Benedict et al, “The Climate Equity Reference Calculator” (2019), online: Climate Equity Reference

Project <calculator.climateequityreference.org>.

22

xix “Largest producers of territorial fossil fuel CO2 emissions worldwide in 2017, based on their share of global

CO2 emissions” (2019), online: Statista <www.statista.com/statistics/271748/the-largest-emitters-of-co2-in-the-

world/>. xx “Brown to Green: The G20 Transition Towards a Net-Zero Emissions Economy 2019: Canada” (2019) at 1-2,

online (pdf): Climate Transparency <www.climate-transparency.org/wp-

content/uploads/2019/11/B2G_2019_Canada.pdf>. xxi “Canada” (last updated 19 September 2019), online: Climate Action Tracker

<climateactiontracker.org/countries/canada>. xxii “In the face of worsening climate crisis, UN Summit delivers new pathways and practical actions to shift global

response into higher gear” (23 September 2019), online: UN Sustainable Development Goals

<www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/09/in-the-face-of-worsening-climate-crisis-un-summit-delivers-

new-pathways-and-practical-actions-to-shift-global-response-into-higher-gear/>. xxiii Chris Skidmore, “UK becomes first major economy to pass net zero emissions law” (27 June 2019), online:

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy <www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-becomes-first-major-

economy-to-pass-net-zero-emissions-law>; “New climate plan to make Denmark carbon neutral by 2050” (9

October 2018), online: Copenhagen Capacity <www.copcap.com/newslist/2018/new-ambitious-climate-plan-will-

make-denmark-carbon-neutral-by-2050>; Felix Bate, “France sets 2050 carbon-neutral target with new law” (27

June 2019), online: Reuters <www.reuters.com/article/us-france-energy/france-sets-2050-carbon-neutral-target-

with-new-law-idUSKCN1TS30B>; “Sweden’s Climate Act and Climate Policy Framework” (last modified 24

September 2019), online: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency <www.swedishepa.se/Environmental-

objectives-and-cooperation/Swedish-environmental-work/Work-areas/Climate/Climate-Act-and-Climate-policy-

framework-/> [Swedish Environmental Protection Agency]; “Climate change: MSPs approve beefed up emissions

target” (25 September 2019), online: BBCNews <www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-49819905> [Climate Change

MSPs Approve]; Laurel Wamsley, “New Zealand Commits To Being Carbon Neutral By 2050 — With A Big

Loophole” (7 November 2019), online: NPR <www.npr.org/2019/11/07/777259573/new-zealand-commits-to-being-

carbon-neutral-by-2050-with-a-big-loophole>. As New Zealand’s net zero target excludes methane emissions,

however, it is regrettably not an economy-wide target.

xxiv Climate Change Act 2008 (UK), S4(1)(a).

xxv “Political understanding between Socialdemokratiet, Radikale Venstre, SF and Enhedslisten: A fair direction for

Denmark” (25 June 2019) at 3, online (pdf): Social Demokratiet <www.socialdemokratiet.dk/media/8602/a-fair-

direction-for-denmark.pdf>. xxvi Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (Scot), ASP 12, S3(1).

xxvii Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, supra note xxiii.

xxviii Hannah Jackson, “National climate emergency declared by House of Commons” (17 June 2019), online:

Global News <globalnews.ca/news/5401586/canada-national-climate-emergency/>; Melanie Woods, “All the Places

in Canada that have Declared States of Climate Emergency” (28 August 2019), online: Huffington Post

<www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/climate-emergency-edmonton-declare_ca_5d671036e4b022fbceb5caff>. xxix Reference re Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, 2019 ONCA 544 (Factum of the Intervenor, the David

Suzuki Foundation at para 39). xxx Brown to Green, G20 Transition, supra note xiv at 11.

xxxi Jan Burck et al, “Climate Change Performance Index: Results 2019”, online (pdf): German Watch

<germanwatch.org/sites/germanwatch.org/files/CCPI-2019-Results-190614-WEB%20A3.pdf>; “Climate Change

Performance Index 2018”, online: Climate Change Performance Index <www.climate-change-performance-

index.org/climate-change-performance-index-2018>. xxxii “Government of Canada: Submission to the Talanoa Dialogue” (2018) at 7, online (pdf): Environment and

Climate Change Canada <publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2019/eccc/En4-351-2018-eng.pdf>. xxxiii “Emissions Gap Report 2018” (November 2018) at 23, online (pdf): United Nations Environment Programme

<wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/26895/EGR2018_FullReport_EN.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=

y>.