Quebec to spend $1 billion more to reduce emissions by 3 megatonnes

The province is halfway to figuring out how to reach its 2030 target.

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QUEBEC — The Legault government has decided it won’t penalize individuals who pollute. But it will spend $1 billion more over five years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only three megatonnes by 2030, out of a total of 80 megatonnes a year. About a third of the funding will go to the most polluting industries to help them invest in cleaner technology.

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Quebec’s emission reductions plan for 2022-2027 was presented Thursday by Environment Minister Benoit Charette.

Environmental groups and opposition parties have demanded punitive measures like surtaxes to dissuade the use of gas-guzzling vehicles.

But “Quebecers have already paid for their more ’emissive’ actions, if only by the price at the pump,” Charette said at a news conference in Quebec City. “We’re not working to penalize, we want instead to mobilize Quebecers.”

The transportation sector represents more than 40 per cent of Quebec’s emissions. So the government is targeting electric vehicles, raising its target to 1.6 million vehicles by 2030 from 1.5 million.

Standards for “zero emission” vehicles will be tightened, with details announced in the coming weeks.

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The billion dollars announced Thursday is in addition to $6.6 billion already announced for 2022-27, and will see emissions reduced by 15.9 megatonnes instead of 12.4 megatonnes by 2030.

Quebec will therefore reach 51 per cent of its 2030 target of reducing emissions by 37.5 megatonnes of 1990 levels. A year ago, it was at 42 per cent. But the measures to reach 100 per cent of that target are still unknown.

Charette said he hopes to reduce emissions by six to eight per cent a year to reach the target, but said he could not guarantee that. He said the government “already has ideas” for new measures, but wants to validate them and ensure they really reduce emissions.