Climate Change Central (CCC) cont inues to find ways to fight global warming by connecting carbon emitters with carbon trappers to benefit both sectors of industry to help the environment.
Tanya Maynes of Calgary, who works as a carbon offset manager for CCC, mainly in agriculture and forestry, said the movement is gaining steam. It was created in late 1999 when the province brought private and public sector leaders together to find an effective way to manage climate change.
CCC has a core staff of almost 30, up from three in 2001. It is run by a cross-section of society with 18 on its board with representation from government, forestry, agriculture and industry. The organization has an average budget of $5 million a year.
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Maynes told attendees at the recent Southern Alberta Conservation Association conference in Lethbridge that climate change science is not debatable – gas emissions are increasing, and Alberta is one of the main emitters and there are legislative implications. In 2007, it passed the Climate Change Emission Management Act.
Facilities emitting more than 100,000 tones of carbon a year must reduce emissions intensity by 12 per cent.
There are tools included in the process such as internal efficiency upgrades and emissions performance credits. It also includes a technology fund or climate change emissions management fund, and emitting companies can come into compliance by paying $15 a tonne for excess emissions. Maynes said that fee will increase but there is no time line.
Offsets are another way to deal with emission reduction, said Maynes. Offsets or carbon credits have been under the microscope for about 10 years. But it wasn’t until a pilot program in 2005 with lots of federal and provincial discussion to quantify offsets spurred more action.
Provincial rules are in place to help industry meet the mandatory emission standards. When federal rules are ready, the two systems will be merged. Carbon credit prices are increasing, said Maynes. The suggested range is $25 to $30 a tonne. She said the offset system is simple to administer, with maximum scope. Industry however is looking for transformational change over time.
CCC is conducting energy assessments for swine, poultry and dairy operations. The work involved is to develop energy assessment tools for the three types of operations.
