GOVERNANCE

Linking sustainability to policy choices

?Governance is the process whereby societies or organizations make important decisions, determine whom they involve and how they render account.?
- Institute on Governance

Environmental issues such as water scarcity, food shortages and climate change summon governments to action ? partly because citizens are insisting on it and partly because governments have a critical role to play in aligning society?s interests and capabilities to reflect positive change. The changing realities of these big, interpreting issues require our governments to consider new ways of making policies.

In Canada, effective and realistic environmental policies ? such as achieving significant reductions in carbon emissions ? can only succeed if they integrate environmental and economic objectives and processes together. In this way, environmental protection and economic prosperity are inextricably linked in the practice of sustainable development.

The NRTEE has a role to play to foster greater sustainability governance on the part of our governments. With the introduction of the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act in 2007, it is obliged by law to review the government?s Climate Change Plan on an annual basis to 2012. We also conduct independent research to suggest ways to make environmental and economic concerns an integrating aspect of the federal government?s decision-making processes.

Ongoing Research

The Sustainability Project

The NRTEE is joining forces with the Public Policy Forum (PPF) to explore how new, collaborative engagement processes can lead to better sustainable development policy in Canada. The NRTEE and the PPF believe that there may be a need for new forms of public and stakeholder engagement in the development and implementation of sustainable development policies and solutions. With this project, the NRTEE and PPF will explore the view that sustainability requires specially crafted and focused governance mechanisms and processes to navigate through difficult issues and to create a more integrated perspective within our governments and society on how to promote sustainability. (more...)

Advisory Role

Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act

The Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA) passed by Parliament in June 2007 stipulates that every year, the Government of Canada must prepare a Climate Change Plan describing the measures and policies it has enacted to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. In return, the NRTEE is mandated by the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA) to conduct research and advise the government on whether or not they can achieve the emissions reductions forecasted in the plan. (more...)

Recent Work

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Forecasting ? International Best Practices

To help the government improve its forecasting methodology and governance, the NRTEE has examined how other industrialized countries approach emissions forecasting. (more...)

Capital Markets and Sustainability

Proponents of sustainable development assert that companies that integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into their business decisions are destined for better long-term performance than those that don?t. Our experts examined this issue to address two key questions: Is there a financial return for companies that pursue this integration? Are these companies rewarded in the capital markets? (more...)

Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators (ESDI) Initiative

The application of six (6) new economic indicators to Canada?s natural resources could help track whether or not our current economic activities are threatening our way of life for future generations. They are: forest cover, freshwater quality, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, extent of wetlands, and levels of education. (more...)

COMMUNITIES

National Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy

The objective of the program was to develop a national strategy that incorporates federal, provincial, municipal and private sector measures that will facilitate the redevelopment of brownfields in Canada. (more...)

Urban Sustainability

A nation's competitive advantage is directly related to the performance of its cities. Furthermore, the quality of life in cities is becoming one of the prime determinants of investment decisions and, hence, the attraction of knowledge workers. However, one necessary first step is to better understand the measures and policies that determine quality of life in Canadian cities and that impact their ability to retain and enhance their competitive positions in the global economy. (more...)