Last week, 800 scientists from around the world told us that humans are the driving force behind climate change and that the impacts for people and nature will be pervasive and severe. They did it in the most robust and authoritative scientific report the world has ever seen — the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group I findings.

Much energy was spent in the media digging into the unprecedented level of scientific certainty behind the report — looking for some flaw, some controversy. The fact is there is only one rational conversation to have about the findings: what we are going to do about them.

We know more than ever before how to solve this problem. Other nations, including the United States, are using this moment as a springboard for action. The day before the report’s release, President Barack Obama announced his administration’s road map for meeting Washington’s 2020 climate target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17 per cent below 2005 levels.

Canada, too, has every opportunity and reason to lead. We have vast wilderness areas, great cities and an economy that relies considerably on resource extraction. We have pioneered world-leading models, like the Great Bear agreements and the Forest Stewardship Council, that prove it is possible to build healthy industries that sustain healthy ecosystems. And we have demonstrated at different scales of government — British Columbia’s carbon tax, the City of Toronto’s climate strategy — that action on climate change can reduce emissions, create jobs and improve our quality of life.

But as a nation, we are not leading. The opposite, in fact. Currently on pace to reach only half of our federal government’s stated 2020 goal, Canada is a global climate laggard with no plan to catch up. We’re on track to miss the mark by an estimated 113 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year, more than the total emissions from our electricity sector. Bridging that gap is no small feat. But we must. More to the point, we can. If ever there were a moment for our governments to institute a plan built on the best intelligence from Canada’s cities, provinces, corporate leaders and, yes, our environmental sector, that moment is now.

If called to action, this nation could meet and exceed our climate goals. Here’s how:

1. Dramatically increase energy conservation with best-in-class building standards. Increased energy efficiency is a prerequisite to a low-carbon shift. Best-in-class standards paired with aggressive support for retrofitting our built environment will lead to economy-wide conservation results — not to mention lower energy bills.

2. Use price signals to drive low-carbon solutions. Reducing subsidies and other incentives for fossil fuel development while incentivizing renewable energy development will spur the solutions we need. Many in business, including the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, support a price on carbon.

3. Invest in infrastructure for public transit and electrified transportation powered by smart “green” grids. Innovations in grid infrastructure can both maximize energy efficiency as well as Canada’s renewable energy potential. Electrifying transportation through green-powered grids would be a massive step forward in meeting climate goals, while simultaneously spurring the development of more livable cities.

4. Set world-leading oil and gas industry regulations. The federal government is years overdue in delivering these regulations. We can’t waste another month to unleash the creative capacity of our energy sector to lower emissions.

5. Reassess the projected growth of Canada’s oil and gas sector to align with climate targets. It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which significant oil and gas expansion, including a doubling of oilsands production, can proceed as planned while Canada still meets its 2020 targets. Proposed fossil fuel infrastructure is designed to last many decades committing us to a high-carbon economy far into this century. The long-term economic and ecological risks of today’s fossil fuel investments must be carefully considered before we advance further on the current path.

Where the IPCC report ends is where Canada’s job begins. We are a resourceful, innovative and entrepreneurial people. Canada has everything it takes to lead on climate and thrive in the process. There are no more excuses to wait.

David Miller is president and CEO of WWF Canada and a former mayor of Toronto.

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