March 27, 2018

CALGARY — What would your climate policy look like if you were in charge? Canada’s Energy Policy Simulator (EPS) is the first tool that allows anyone to see exactly how policy ideas affect total carbon and emissions output in the country.

From carbon pricing to mass transit to building efficiency, the tool allows users to gain a much deeper understanding of specific action Canada does or could take to achieve decarbonization and meet international climate commitments.

The peer-reviewed EPS tool was developed by the Pembina Institute in collaboration with Energy Innovation. It is based on non-partisan, published data from government entities and other credible sources. Its development and free availability to everyone is part of the Pembina Institute’s ongoing effort to improve Canadians’ capacity — including civil society and the media — to understand how climate and energy policies can be designed to meet Canada’s emissions reduction targets. This helps Canadians to have informed opinions on policy proposals put forward by governments.

Journalists are encouraged to contact us for a comprehensive introduction to the tool, how it works, and examples of existing or potential climate action to learn the impact these actions will have on decarbonization and emissions.

You can explore Canada’s Energy Policy Simulator here: https://policysolutions.pembina.org

Quick facts

Energy Innovation has developed similar policy measurement tools for the U.S., China, Mexico, Indonesia and Poland. The Canadian version is the latest, and together, these countries represent 46 per cent of global emissions.

Canada’s Energy Policy Simulator allows you to see the result of a combination of up to 50 policies, set to user-specified levels, allowing for near-infinite combinations.

Quotes

“Canadians are clear in their demand that policy makers take real action to reduce GHG emissions. To hold policy makers accountable, climate policies must be quantified for outcomes on emissions the same way budgets must be quantified for fiscal outcomes. This publicly available tool will enable Canadians to test policies and do the math themselves.”

— Sara Hastings-Simon, Director, Clean Economy, Pembina Institute

“With the Pembina Institute, we used Canada’s Energy Policy Simulator to model the policies of the Pan-Canadian Framework. We found that the PCF will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 255 million metric tons in 2030. It will also achieve about $27 billion per year in climate and public health benefits, including the prevention of over 1,600 deaths annually by 2030. Extending and strengthening the ambition of the PCF could increase these benefits, allow Canada to meet its emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement, and position the country for deeper decarbonization by mid-century.” — Jeffrey Rissman, Industry Program Director and Head of Modeling, Energy Innovation LLC

Webinar

What is the power of Canada’s Energy Policy Simulator? What can it teach us and how does it work? Please join us in this free public webinar to learn from the simulator’s creators how and why it was developed, and how to use it to understand existing policies and imagine potentially better ones.

When: April 5, 1:00 MST

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9099857688224804099

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Contact

Suzy Thompson

Communications Lead, Pembina Institute

587-585-4522

Silvio Marcacci

Communications Director, Energy Innovation

415-799-2167

Sara Hastings-Simon

Director, Clean Economy, Pembina Institute

403-470-0165