Publication News | Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act: A bridge over the implementation gap?

Professor David Wright has published "Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act: A bridge over the implementation gap?" in the University of New Brunswick Law Journal.

The federal government recently enacted the Net Zero Emissions Accountability Act (NZEAA), a step that holds the potential to reverse a trend of unimplemented commitments. The purpose of the NZEAA is to bridge the gap through a transparency and accountability framework that guides and drives implementation of existing and forthcoming federal climate change law and policy. However, the specific features, weaknesses, and implications of the NZEAA remain not well understood. Overall, it remains an open question whether the NZEAA will actually provide a bridge across the gap. This article explores that question, presenting the basics of the new law, analyzing what it means in practical terms for Canadian climate change law and policy now and into the future, and then examining weaknesses, some of which may inhibit NZEAA from having its intended impacts. The article concludes by putting forward several overarching reflections and commenting on early signs that the plan is at least beginning to bridge the implementation gap, including through the first federal Emissions Reduction Plan under the NZEAA.

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