Modeling policy pathways to carbon neutrality in Canada

The Canadian government has made commitments to transition Canada to a carbon neutral economy by 2050, but to date have yet to announce a policy pathway to achieve its goal. This study uses the CIMS energy-economy model to assess two policy packages that could help Canada achieve carbon neutrality by 2050: one focusing on carbon pricing and the other on flexibly designed regulations. Each were modeled in two scenarios, which represented different levels of global climate action. Both policy packages are likely to achieve significant emissions reductions, though reductions will likely come from different sectors of the Canadian economy depending on how aggressively the rest of the world acts on climate change.