The Battlefords will have some high-profile representation at the climate change summit in Paris this week.
That representation will be from Battlefords MLA Herb Cox, Saskatchewan’s environment minister, who is due to be at the COP21 Climate Change Conference Dec. 4 to 10.
He will be Saskatchewan’s representative at the conference replacing Premier Brad Wall, who is returning home to Saskatchewan following his meetings there.
It promises to be a busy time for Cox. On the agenda is a meeting with Canada’s new federal environment minister, Catherine McKenna, their first meeting since the federal election, as well as with his counterparts from the other provinces.
In speaking with the Regional Optimistprior to leaving for Paris, Cox pledged to “continue telling Saskatchewan’s story.”
“We think it’s just important that we continue to have representation, an elected representative over there,” said Cox.
One item the environment minister wants to highlight is “building on what the premier’s already done.”
Cox indicated he wants to highlight some of the innovative ways Saskatchewan has dealt with the climate change issue.
“We’re a big part of the solution,” said Cox. “Our carbon capture storage project down at Boundary Dam 3, that’s the largest per capita investment of any jurisdiction.
“With something like 1,000 coal plants in the mill right now, carbon capture and cleaning up coal-burning power plants is globally important, not just important to Saskatchewan and Canada, but globally.”
Cox pledged to “carry that message in whatever meetings I’m going to be in.”
His schedule will involve some fully-booked days over the next week.
Overall, the minister is happy with how the Saskatchewan story is being received already. “We’ve had great interest from other nations that may want to come and look at our technology here.”
Another item Cox is excited about is the recent announcement of SaskPower of a move to 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030.
“We already have some wind projects in the mill,” said Cox, who added “there’s nothing that isn’t on the table. We’re looking at solar, we’re looking at geothermal, we’re looking at wind. All of these things. We realize we have to do our part. Right now, emissions from coal-fired electricity is one of our biggest emitters so we have to clean that up.”
Cox says his upcoming meetings with the federal environment minister and his counterparts from the other provinces will “inform the direction that we take,” Cox said.
The minister also pledged to maintain the message Premier Wall delivered at the conference to be mindful of the economy.
“We have to maintain the balance, and I think we’ve done a great job of it in Saskatchewan,” said Cox. “We have to maintain that balance between the economy and the environment. And I think the thing that we’re doing with innovation and the technology ..., we’re allowing our economy to continue to be strong and we’re also working on cleaning up the greenhouse gases that we’re emitting.”
“Without the economy, we can’t continue to do the things that we need to do here in Saskatchewan.”
A number of reports about the conference have described Premier Wall’s stance as a "dissenting" or "outlier" voice on the issue compared to other leaders. Cox doesn’t see it that way.
“I wouldn’t really say a dissenting voice. Premier Wall is over there and he’s representing the interests of the people of Saskatchewan,” said Cox.
“The premier is over there basically telling the same message that I’ve said -- that we have to have that balance between a strong economy here in Saskatchewan and environmental awareness. So I don’t feel that he’s, I (don’t) know what term you want to put on it, but an ‘outsider’ or ‘outlier.' He’s having good conversations with the Prime Minister and with his fellow Premiers. But he is telling Saskatchewan’s story and we need to be aware of our economy.”
