N.W.T. gov't commits to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050

The N.W.T. government has committed to reaching a more ambitious climate target.

Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek laid out the territory's promise to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 from both industrial and non-industrial emitters in a budget document tabled — without any fanfare — at the Legislative Assembly in the summer. 

In an interview Wednesday, she confirmed the promise was a firm commitment. 

"We are on the front lines of climate change," said Wawzonek, who is also the territory's minister of infrastructure. "Whether it's road systems, permafrost slumpage, wildfires … the idea of being fairly bold in that target speaks to that reality." 

Reaching "net-zero" by 2050 would mean that any emissions still being produced 26 years from now would be fully absorbed through actions that scrub carbon from the atmosphere.

Wawzonek said the territory would need Ottawa's support because the territory doesn't have the capacity for the kind of transformative change it has now committed to. She also noted that the energy system it's working with is old, expensive and behind that of southern Canada's. 

The N.W.T. government has been mulling over whether to update its climate target for several years. Until recently, it had been striving toward a goal of reducing emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 — a target it was expected to hit because of the expected closure of the Diavik diamond mine starting in 2026. 

The federal government upgraded its own commitment to net-zero by 2050 four years ago. 

"It's a wonderful target, I'm excited about the target," said Environment and Climate Change Minister Jay Macdonald. His department and Infrastructure share the responsibility of mapping the territory's path forward. 

But, like Wawzonek, he emphasized that the government can't do it alone. 

"I sure hope the government of Canada is listening to these interviews today and [realizes] that, you know, if we want to meet these targets, we need significant investment from them," he said.

Wawzonek said the new target was decided upon at the end of the Legislative Assembly's last session. 

She said regular MLAs talk to her about things they think are missing from the budget and things they want changed. This past summer, the net-zero carbon target was one of those items, she said. 

Wawzonek said a study commissioned last year shows that reaching net-zero is "technically feasible." She said the next step now is for her department and Macdonald's to finalize their individual strategies: the 2025-2029 Climate Action Plan and a new Energy Strategy. 

"We can't really let off the gas on any of it," she said.