Québec Institutionalizes Its 'Fight Against Climate Change'

Québec's proactive approach to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions is evident: It recently created a government ministry explicitly charged with “the fight against climate change." David Heurtel, the first-ever minister with that responsibility, spoke with VerdeXchange News about the global implications of his role. Effective environmental action, he notes, requires innovation and international cooperation on top of a traditional regulatory approach.

One such innovation occurred over a year ago, when Québec entered a cap-and-trade agreement with California. The two regions have very different economies, ecosystems, and political frameworks, but their collaboration has produced a thriving cap-and-trade system that's third auction recently raised 215 million Canadian dollars. Ontario will soon join the system, as well. As Heurtel explains, Québec is part of a growing movement of sub-national entities collaborating across countries and differences to build an international green economy:

"You’re seeing the momentum generated by what Québec and California have done—two federated states from two different countries coming together, and now getting Ontario to join," he says. "You need different strategies depending on your economy, population, and energy sources. [But] carbon pricing is part of the solution."