RBC Climate Action Institute

Donald Trump is heading back to the White House. Critical questions have been raised around U.S. climate policy especially the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s signature climate law, and the Paris deal. What happens to IRA now? Read more in our latest edition of Climate Crunch: http://spr.ly/6049Sa0aD

As countries fuse their economic, environmental and geopolitical objectives, there is a growing imperative to link trade and climate policies. John Stackhouse and Myha T. sit down to talk about carbon pricing, and how to align Canada’s systems to strengthen competitiveness and climate action. Learn more in our latest report: http://spr.ly/6044Scozs Report authors: Myha T., RBC Climate Action Institute Brendan Frank, Clean Prosperity Dale Beugin, Canadian Climate Institute / Institut climatique du Canada

Further scaling up nature-based solutions on ag landscapes is an opportunity to deliver benefits for people and planet according to Jane Church, Nick Betts, Bryan Gilvesy and our very own Lisa Ashton on a panel at the RBC Future Launch Growth Hub Stage at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair on Friday. They reinforced three key ideas that we need to champion to keep up the momentum 👇 1. Community – empower farmers and local communities to lead in decision-making and deployment of solutions. 2. Collaboration – partnerships across industry, government, non-profit are key to building trust and transformation within our agricultural systems. 3. Capital – Nature-based solutions can provide economic benefits, but to scale adoption farmers need support in taking on the initial risks and continuously improving. Big thanks to our panelists for a dynamic and engaging conversation on the first day of the Fair ALUS Nature United Canadian Alliance for Net Zero Agri-Food (CANZA)

A series of unfortunate events hit pumpkin production. Tam Andersen—who runs Prairie Gardens (http://spr.ly/6042SJCby) in Alberta—says she lost crop early this season to unusually cold weather in June, following on from a drought that hit output last year. “It’s a response to climate change—yet again. We are calling this season the Lemony Snicket season,” she said in a phone call from her 35-acre farm in Sturgeon County. Like other farmers, she is adapting to the changing weather: next season she will plant pumpkins on higher ground to protect them from melting frost. Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest climate insights. Subscribe here 👉 http://spr.ly/6043SJCbJ

While nuclear was given the green light from policymakers at COP28 in Dubai, the sector had still been waiting to “take off” – until now. The string of recent announcements has nuclear stocks flying, and meaningfully outperforming the S&P 500 on the year. Shaz Merwat, our Energy Policy Lead, points to two key implications for Canada 👇 ➡️ Nuclear is becoming a key provincial plank, most notably within Ontario’s plan to meet a 75% surge in demand by 2050 (to support AI demand and others). There is also room to export our expertise to those warming up to nuclear – Ontario Power Generation’s SMRs are a case in point. The U.S. is already moving swiftly in hawking its SMR tech (http://spr.ly/6047SPsDl) to Asian countries. ➡️ Second, it showcases the need for offtake agreements to drive deployment of new decarbonization technologies. The U.S. IRA provided a robust offtake mechanism with a guaranteed US$85/ton tax credit. Canada’s approach to derisk capital expenditures (investment tax credits) is economically sound, but has struggled to provide carbon price (revenue) certainty to date. Subscribe to our newsletter for more climate insights: http://spr.ly/6048SPsDm

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair kicks off on Friday! Lisa Ashton our Agricultural Policy Lead, will be moderating a panel at the Growth Hub Stage, presented by RBC Future Launch. Lisa is joined by three panelists to discuss how Canada can advance nature-based solutions on agriculture landscapes to deliver environmental and economic benefits. Nick Betts, Managing Director, Canadian Alliance for Net Zero Agri-Food (CANZA) Jane Church, Corporate Engagement Director, Nature United Bryan Gilvesy, CEO, ALUS Learn more, or buy tickets here: http://spr.ly/6046SKsj4

Industrial carbon markets can get Canada closer to its Net Zero goals — yet our current system remains a patchwork. We explore how removing interprovincial trade barriers and integrating the siloed systems could offer economic upside that could be transformative for Canada’s energy transition. Learn more from our joint report in partnership with the Canadian Climate Institute / Institut climatique du Canada and Clean Prosperity. 👇 Link to the full report: http://spr.ly/6040qxLxs Report authors: Myha T. Brendan Frank Dale Beugin

Europe’s biggest battery maker was going to be Canada’s answer to Chinese EV battery behemoths, but the delay to Northvolt’s Quebec plans could gum up Canada’s EV supply chain (http://spr.ly/6040qtOKg). The Quebec factory plans could be delayed by at least 18 months — the company is struggling against cheaper and better-performing Chinese EV batteries and a slowdown in European automakers’ EV plans. Subscribe to our newsletter for more climate insights: http://spr.ly/6041qtOK9

We’re celebrating the three-year anniversary of our landmark report, The $2 Trillion Transition. This research laid the foundation for our work, exploring how investments in clean technology and sustainable practices can drive economic growth. New research is on the way as we prepare for our flagship report, Climate Action 2025. Stay tuned! Read the full report here: http://spr.ly/6042qlFHA

At Energy Disruptors Unite in Calgary, John Stackhouse sat down with Chana Martineau BA, ICD.D, CEO of Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC), to discuss economic reconciliation. The AIOC is paving the way for economic growth. Chana shared her advice for companies that want to build ties with Indigenous communities. Read here ➡️ http://spr.ly/6046qjyrM