France - Canada Climate and Environment Partnership
France and Canada share a commitment to safeguard the planet and the future of the generations to come. Together we will accelerate climate action and work together towards a clean and prosperous future. We recognize that the Paris Agreement is irreversible and we are committed to its full and effective implementation. We support the Paris agreement temperature goal of holding the increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees. We also recognize that common rules for all Parties, with particular reference to the transparency framework and mitigation guidance, are essential to ensure the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement provisions. We are also firmly committed to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Women and girls are part of the fight against climate change and the energy transition.
The Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, adopted on December 9 2016, is Canada’s plan — developed with provinces and territories and through engagement with Indigenous Peoples — to meet its emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement, build climate resilience, and grow the economy. Canada’s target is to reduce its emissions to 30 percent below 2005 levels, by 2030. Canada has its long-term, low carbon development strategy looking at pathways to 2050, which it launched at CoP22 in November 2016.
On 6 July 2017, the French government adopted its Climate Plan to accelerate the energy transition and the implementation of the Paris agreement. This Climate Plan sets a new course to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, reduces France’s dependence on fossil fuels and promotes an inclusive approach.
To build on these decisions, France and Canada will collaborate to promote and quickly implement the Paris Agreement. To this end, our countries are committed to the following partnership: (See Annex for specific initiatives)
1) Reducing international ground, sea and air transport emissions
France and Canada will take joint action at the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization in order to secure ambitious outcomes, to support the Paris Agreement temperature goal, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in these sectors and to encourage innovation and further research.
France and Canada will work to lower greenhouse gas emissions from the ground transportation sector. Opportunities exist through new technologies, fuels, and innovation and efficiencies in energy production to substantially reduce emissions in this sector.
France and Canada encourage fuel-efficient consumer behaviour; collaborating on the adoption of green freight initiatives; sharing best practices on electric vehicle and alternative fuel infrastructure deployment; and, supporting low carbon transportation fuel production and use.
2) Promoting energy efficiency
France and Canada will work together on energy efficiency as a means of meeting domestic and international objectives on climate change. This includes actions to accelerate the adoption of energy efficiency policies, programs and practices such as green procurement, including through multilateral initiatives under the International Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Ministerial, the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Corporation, and the G20.
3) Measuring and pricing carbon emissions
Building on their experience, France and Canada will promote efficient carbon pricing (including national and other levels of government), and identify opportunities to better align practices. This will include experience-sharing on the implementation of carbon pricing and the measure of the impacts on economic actors. Together, we will encourage economic actors to make a long-term commitment to clean growth and the low-carbon economy.
4) Promoting sustainable development issues in international bodies
France and Canada are working together to increase global awareness, including at the G7, G20, World Trade organisation, International Energy Agency, Clean Energy Ministerial, Mission Innovation, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and within the United Nations to promote and ensure the swift implementation of the Paris Agreement. We will make outreach efforts to encourage all countries to ratify and implement the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol, and support the replenishment of the Global Environment Facility as well as the ongoing operationalization of the Green Climate Fund. We are also working towards the elimination of inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies by 2025, in keeping with G7/G20 commitments to support the global transition to a low carbon economy, and support the G20 peer review process.
In international fora, we support the principles that gender equality and empowerment of women should be respected, promoted and considered.
We are working together within the group of Friends of the Global Pact for the Environment.
We promote trade policies that:
Contribute to broader economic, social and environmental objectives, and that are compatible with the Paris Agreement;
Maintain the ability of governments to achieve legitimate public policy objectives, such as public health, social services, public education, safety, as well as environment – notably with regard to the Investment Court System ; and
Promote high standards and regulations related to food safety, product safety, consumer protection, health, environment or labour protection.
5) Including climate in development assistance actions
France and Canada are committed to the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in their cooperation action. France and Canada have been developing respective national coordination mechanisms to ensure the effective promotion of, participation in, and contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
France and Canada support the implementation of the Paris Agreement by all countries. We are helping developing countries to build low-carbon and climate-resilient economies. We also aim to increase efforts to mobilize public and private finance for climate actions.
On mitigation, we support efforts of countries to adopt energy efficiency policies and practices, as well as strategies to phase out existing traditional coal power and promote renewable energy.
On adaptation, we will support efforts to enhance adaptive capacity and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable countries, including coastal and small island developing nations that are disproportionately affected by climate risks and extreme weather events.
We recognize that women and girls are especially vulnerable to the damaging effects of climate change and we will increase efforts to integrate gender priorities in our climate actions.
6) Reducing emissions in the forestry and agriculture sectors
France and Canada are committed to implementing sustainable forest management both globally and domestically, so as to follow through on their international commitments, including the relevant decisions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the principles of the Montreal Process. France and Canada are committed to international efforts to support developing countries in their endeavour to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
France and Canada are committed to developing solutions that aim to reduce emissions from the agriculture sector by half by 2050. They are also committed to supporting and helping to meet the global private-sector goal of eliminating deforestation from the production of agricultural commodities, as agreed under the New York Declaration on Forests. These joint efforts will help reduce deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries.
7) Strengthening collaboration on climate change science as well as research and innovation
France and Canada will work collaboratively on earth observation and promote the free and open release of geospatial data and contribute to its analysis to understand climate change impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, evaluate measures to mitigate them, and support effective adaptation.
France and Canada are encouraging both public and private stakeholders to create closer ties to pursue research on clean technologies (e.g., renewables and energy efficiency initiatives) and the fight against climate change, alongside the re-channelling of aid mechanisms.
We are working collaboratively through multilateral fora including Mission Innovation, the Clean Energy Ministerial, and the International Energy Agency, to:
Accelerate clean energy innovation;
Advance the research, development and commercialisation of energy technologies; and
Collaborate on initiatives to drive the global clean energy transition on policy and technology solutions in areas such as energy efficiency, energy systems, and integration.
8) Developing green finance and budgeting
At all levels, France and Canada are encouraging experience-sharing on green and sustainable financing, and have discussions to help strengthen the ownership of these issues by all stakeholders, as well as the integrity of markets and products which involve financing the transition towards low-carbon, resilient economies. This cooperation also encompasses initiatives that promote awareness of climate change issues within the responsibilities of regulators, in alignment with the recommendations of the G20 Task Force on Climate Disclosure.
France and Canada wish to increase their experience-sharing on initiatives designed to promote alignment between national budgetary processes and environmental goals.
9) Advancing ecosystem and nature-based approaches for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies
As Parties to the Paris Agreement and to the Convention on Biological Diversity, France and Canada are committed to achieving both climate change and biodiversity objectives.
We recognize that the conservation of biodiversity, and of the ecosystem services that it supports, is vital to addressing the challenges presented by climate change.
France and Canada acknowledge that ecosystems play an important role in addressing climate change – through mitigation (e.g. as carbon sinks) and adaptation (e.g. through the use of natural infrastructure to buffer the effects of extreme weather events).
Healthy, biologically diverse ecosystems may increase climate resilience by reducing the vulnerability of communities to climate change and increasing their capacity to recover from climate change impacts.