Alberta government to commit $58M to reducing greenhouse gas
Posted Feb 13, 2023 3:48 pm.
Last Updated Feb 13, 2023 3:49 pm.
The Alberta government says it will commit $58 million to help projects involved in the Circular Economy Challenge to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the province.
In a news release Monday, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Sonya Savage says this will be done through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) projects, which are worth $528 million in public and private investments. She adds all of the funding is coming from Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund.
“Advancing technology solutions that support a circular economy makes good environmental and economic sense. Circular Economy Challenge projects supported by the TIER fund will help keep valuable materials in the economy and out of landfills, which drives investment, bolsters economic activity, cuts emissions, and creates jobs. It’s a win across the board,” Savage said in a statement.
The province says the ERA projects can reduce GHG by up to 4 million tonnes by 2050, which is equal to offsetting the GHG of around 1 million homes.
It also says around 1,800 jobs will be created.
The Alberta government says in a circular economy, which is a framework that is meant to tackle worldwide challenges like climate change, a product’s lifecycle can be extended through “reuse, recycling, upcycling, resource recovery, and sustainable design.”
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Solutions supported by the Circular Economy Challenge include recycling asphalt from roof shingles, capturing and storing carbon in concrete, and a project that dehydrates inedible eggs into powder for pets and livestock. The latter project is a first-of-its-kind in Canada.
“A more sustainable, diversified provincial economy requires using our resources more wisely. We need to think about waste as a resource rather than a cost. This investment in converting waste into other uses is going to make a real difference,” said Justin Riemer, CEO of ERA.
The ERA says all funding recipients must produce an outcomes report that is shared with the public for the “broader benefit of Alberta.”
Funding recipients will be required to report on project outcomes, achievements, and lessons learned, including GHG reductions, job creation, and other environmental, economic, and social benefits.
ERA has committed around $880 million toward 246 projects worth more than $7 billion since 2009. ERA projects are estimated to reduce emissions by 40 million tonnes by 2030 and by 99 million tonnes by 2050.
