Greening Government Strategy in Canada

Greening Government Strategy – Canada

Introduction

The world has been coming to terms with climate change, which is a phenomenon that has been attributed to increased greenhouse gases derived from anthropogenic activities. The majority of these activities involve the use of fossil fuels or dirty fuels for industrial and domestic combustion processes. As a pre-emptive measure, governments have been advocating for the implementation of sustainable environmental practices essential for reverting evident coastal erosion, unpredictable weather, rise in atmospheric temperature, and other emerging issues such as fresh water and food security.

In particular, the Greening Government Strategy by the Canadian government seeks to reduce the amounts of the GHGs, while improving the resiliency of its assets, services, and operations in the dawn of the changing climate. While the innovation is a milestone for enhancing service delivery, it has faced massive opposition from both international and domestic quarters. As a result, it has experienced a slowed pace of greening in government agencies and departments. This alignment is supported by contemporary theories in management, namely the chaos and system theories of management. In light of these developments, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should initiate dialogue and negotiation with the NAFTA and territorial administrators to establish ways of maintaining normal operations such as oil exploration, while greening every aspect of the public sector.

Case - Innovation

The Canadian government agencies have been blamed for the rising level of greenhouse gases. Cognizant of the devastating effects of the greenhouse effect, the Greening Government Strategy seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, while enhancing the resiliency of its assets, operations, and services delivery to conform with the changing weather and climate. Specifically, the Greening Government Strategy aims to (1) reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from federal installations, government operations, and its fleet by approximately 80% (Government of Canada n.d). This objective will be achieved in numerous ways. These are the utilization of renewable energy and power resources; constant tracking of indirect emissions, primarily from air travel by public service employees; reduced emissions from newly leased facilities; and greening of procurement processes by a reduction in the intensity of emissions from goods and services purchased. The second objective is to (2) adopt low carbon emission mobility solutions through the deployment of support infrastructure, facilities, and modernization of its facilities. This goal will be achieved through the modernization of its fleet with new light-duty vehicles that produce zero emissions (Zero emission vehicles), the use of telematics to collect and analyze data usage in its executive vehicles, and the use of alternative sources of energy for its fleet operations. Another objective is to (3) enhance sustainable partnerships through the creation of sustainable workplaces and the mobilization of all employees towards the greening of the government. This arrangement will yield fruitful work relationships between provincial, territorial, indigenous people, academia, and like-minded non-profit organizations in establishing sustainability at every level of the government structure. Besides, the initiative aims to (4) track and disclose water portable consumption through the employment of the best water utilization practices in new building activities, as well as refurbishment and re-design of all Crown-owned buildings to efficiently control storm and runoff water (Government of Canada n.d). Finally, the initiative aims to roll out green construction principles that will enhance sustainability in the real property sector. Under this initiative, the government will essentially evaluate its real property to decide on opportunities and challenges in real property management. In doing so, it will ensure all new buildings prioritize low carbon emissions and implement the use of clean energy sources for all its real-estate properties. The federal and regional governments own most of the real estate properties in the country. These innovations come in the wake of evident impacts of climate change in Canada that include coastal erosion, increased heatwaves in the northern regions, drought and flooding in some areas, thawing permafrost, particularly near wetlands, visible changes in the ecosystem, and evident risks to some of its critical installation. Most of these effects have been attributed to human activities as drivers of unprecedented alterations in the climate of the Earth. This alignment poses direct risks to economic growth, security, and human health in the country. As a result, the Canadian government expects to minimize risks and enact economic possibilities that will give rise to good jobs for Canadians. This approach will expand the country’s global competitiveness in the technology sector and increase resource productivity through investment in clean electricity. It is essential to note that most of these initiatives are ongoing and are likely to intensify in the future as the government seeks to make a breakthrough in ensuring the sustainability of its operations and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the public sector.

Problems

The implementation of the greening government strategy that seeks to lower carbon emissions, while increasing resilience and service delivery has not been without opposition. This is because the strategy encroaches on every aspect of the country’s economy, causing uneasiness among both the public and the private sectors. These cases are likely to persist in the coming times. Specifically, these initiatives have faced heavy resistance from NAFTA which has been seen as jeopardizing the government’s climate commitments. The energy proportionality rule contained in the NAFTA deal deters Canadian government agencies from a quick reduction of the GHGs and potentially locks Canada, the US, and Mexico into high carbon futures (Laxer 2018, p. 1). Under this arrangement, Canada is supposed to make available approximately three-quarters of its oil production and roughly half of its natural gas for export to the United States. Furthermore, the government cannot make any alteration to the proportion of bitumen or fracked oil in the US, which presents severe implications for the government concerning its commitment relating to greening strategies. Fracked gas releases more hazardous emissions than coal and bitumen is among the most hydrocarbon-intensive substances in the world, yet the government cannot phase them out due to the NAFTA deal. This alignment is further complicated by the fact that Canadian oil and gas production can only be controlled through market changes, meaning that the federal government cannot simply reduce carbon energy exports to cut GHG emissions. Besides, it cannot redirect oil and gas sold to the United States since this approach would displace the imports derived from other countries as witnessed in the 1970s when there was a widespread shortage of essential supplies (Laxer 2018, p. 1). The basis of the proportionality principle was to ensure that these implications would not happen again in the country. The recent launch or approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline that aims to transfer Alberta bitumen or oilsand oil to the US is a manifestation that the government is still bound by the energy proportionality rule and Canada must still provide non-renewable energy to partner governments. To date, production rather than consumption of oil and gas by Canadians remains the country’s largest and fastest-growing source of carbon emissions. Should the country stick to the proportionality principle, it is estimated that it will have produced 1,488 megatons more greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (Laxer 2018, p. 1). Therefore, NAFTA hinders every greening effort in the public sector.

The Greening Government Strategy also faces stiff resistance from oil and gas-producing companies. For instance, Suncor Energy has been on the frontline, lobbying the government not to implement some of the strategies aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions for fear of market and profit loss. The company has in the past positioned itself as a green company committed to the reduction of environmental impacts of the dirty source of energy, yet sentiments by its top leadership show that it is deeply entrenched in oilsand exploration, which is an activity that has resulted in disastrous environmental and climate implications in the country. To make the matters worse, the company has proposed an increased number of smaller projects that will involve underground drilling of oils and boost the amount of oil sold to the United States (Southwick & Herald 2017, p. 1). This goes against the government's commitment to reducing GHGs. The possibility of the government going to court is minimal given that historical tribunals have ruled in favor of oil and gas corporations. Suncor Energy's lobbying efforts relating to increased oils and exploration have been widely supported by other oil companies such as Vermilion Energy, Tourmaline Oil, and Baytex Energy as they stand to benefit from massive profits gained through the sale of oil and oil products.

Solutions

Justin Trudeau who is the leader of the Government has employed several strategies aimed at ensuring success in greening government agencies. In 2017, the Prime Minister accorded a signature to the Paris Climate Change agreement, which builds on a common cause for all countries to implement climate change reduction strategies. The deal primarily aims to strengthen the global response to the problem of climate change by keeping global temperatures in constant check, as well as enhancing the country’s ability to minimize the effects of climate change in their countries (United Nations 2018, p. 1). As a part of the agreement, each state must provide ambitious goals, a new technological framework, enhanced capacity, and appropriate financial flows that will support actions aimed at lowering the carbon footprint. In response to these commitments, the leader has been vigorous in rallying regional and provincial administrations to reduce amounts of carbon emissions related to their governmental operations with expectations that this approach would override the energy proportionality clause of the NAFTA was given world leaders have assented to the document. This would lead to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as a result of oils and exploration and harvesting. Unfortunately, most of these efforts have been passed down the drain following an unceremonious exit of the United States from the treaty. As a result, the government is still bound by the energy proportionality clause of NAFTA. As a recommendation, the leader should seek negotiations between the NAFTA member countries for ways of reducing direct and indirect carbon emissions that are occasioned by government treaties without stiffing the relationships that exist between them. Such strategies could include the implementation of enhanced oil recovery processes and carbon capture, use, and storage in the underground. This method is perfect because it enhances oil and gas exploration while reducing the amount of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere through subsequent storage underground where it does not contribute to environmental degradation.

On the home front, the premier has taken radical steps aimed at reconciling the country’s energy requirements and its climate change obligations. Such ways include the imposition of a carbon tax for all provinces failing to take necessary measures to lower carbon emissions from their government structures. This strategy can promote the greening government strategy, but opposition is high among the provinces. For instance, the Saskatchewan government has already moved to court to seek clarification on the legality of the tax imposition. Chances are high that Ontario and Alberta will follow suit given they get significant revenues from the exploration of oilsand, which is subject to carbon pricing (Shankman 2018, p. 1). Besides, the provinces get a lion's share from Suncor Energy, Vermilion Energy, Tourmaline Oil, and Baytex Energy companies whose core activities include oils and exploration for profits. To remain steadfast in commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gas, as well as global obligations to climate change, the premier should draw a national framework for the carbon tax that will direct the emission of carbon dioxide from government agencies. In addition, the premier should call for dialogue with Kinder Morgan, which is a company devoted to the pipeline expansion on ways of making the process environmentally sustainable (Shankman 2018, p. 1). If not checked, the expansion will lead to more GHG emissions into the atmosphere. It should be recognized that this company controls most of the pipeline passing through the provinces, which delivers bitumen oil to the United States. Negotiations with these parties will be significant in ensuring all provincial and federal government buildings, operations, and mobility fleets are committed to the reduction of greenhouse gases. It is expected that these recommendations will yield success in the greening of government exercise.

Analysis

Issues surrounding the Green Government Strategy of Canada can best be explained by the chaos theory. The chaos theory states that as world events appear to be random, so are events in government institutions. As such, it theorizes that events are rarely controlled and usually go from complicated to becoming more volatile to external influences. This requires the events to gain extra energy to maintain complexity and stability. Precisely, in the above case, Trudeau’s actions aimed at greening the government through the application of carbon-reducing strategies across all the sectors are well-informed and advantageous for the environment and all citizens. Regrettably, these actions are consistently impacted by both national and international occurrences. For instance, NAFTA requires the country to maintain its supply of oil and natural gas, which are substances that are the main sources of the GHGs, yet the government rolls out strategies for capping these emissions (Laxer 2018, p. 1). This is a representation of chaos since the same institution is required to implement conflicting situations. In addition, a part of the chaos theory dictates that events are unpredictable. This is replicated by the un-ceremonial exit of the United States from the Paris climate change accord. This treaty would have supported Canada’s strategies relating to a global commitment to the reduction of GHGs. Instead, it throws off all efforts of the government aimed at achieving its green status. As a compensatory mechanism, the leader resorts to domestic measures that would lead to the desired outcomes by imposing a carbon tax on provincial governments, but this does not make matters even better. States retaliate by seeking legal sanctions against the federal government to prevent the implementation of new carbon taxes (H? bert 2018, p. 1). This scenario is a perfect representation of chaos in the public sector as encompassed in the chaos theory.

Similarly, the systems theory can explain some aspects of Canada’s green government innovation strategy. A system in the context of this theory is a collection of parts merged to seek a common goal. If a singular portion is removed, the nature of the entire system is changed. This theory reflects the actions of the premier in signing the climate change deal and a subsequent exit of a key ally in enhancing the green government. In addition, the provincial government's action to start legal redress insinuates conflicts between unitary governments and federal governments. As expected, these conflicts are likely to severe the federal government’s goals of ensuring green government and steer it away from this noble objective.

Conclusion

The Greening Government Strategy is an innovation of the Canadian government. The strategy seeks to reduce greenhouse emissions and increase resiliency in service provision across all governmental agencies. Its objectives revolve around lowering direct and indirect sources of greenhouse gases, greening mobility fleets, fostering sustainable partnerships, reduction of carbon from real estate properties, reducing water wastage, as well as controlled municipal wastes. This approach comes in the wake of evident impacts of climate change such as coastal erosion, increased heat waves, drought, famine, and concerns about food and water security in the country. Despite this well-thought idea, the innovation has met tough resistance from local and international agencies. In particular, this project has been facing opposition from NAFTA and different provincial administrations. This has necessitated the leader of the government to enter climate change accords such as the Paris Climate Change treaty and impose carbon taxes on provincial administrations not keen on addressing the menace in their respective states. These actions are better explained by chaos and systems theories of management and innovation of the government. The chaos theory indicates that events revolving around governments and the public sector are random, complex, and volatile due to external environments, while the system theory holds that if a part of a system, in this case, territorial authorities, do not supplement the system, implementation of strategies is likely to be unsuccessful. Going forward, Prime Minister Justine Trudeau should have detailed negotiations and discussions with the NAFTA and territorial governments on the need to implement climate change initiatives, while maintaining critical operations. In this case, he should lobby for enhanced oil recovery and carbon capture, use, and storage practices that have the capacity of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. While allowing oilsand harvesting, these strategies are likely to promote the reduction of the greenhouse effect, hence enabling successful innovations.