Lee NarrawayWWFCamada Presentation NEB Modernization Expert Panel James

Overview • WWF-Canada organizational perspective • Whole of government fundamental shift from ‘responsible development’ to building a ‘modern sustainable economy’ • Five tangible ways for the NEB to contribute to this shift & relevant WWF-Canada research findings 2

WWF-Canada 81% WWF has 81% brand awareness in Canada 50 years 50 -year track record of achievements allowing us to celebrate big conservation wins in the areas of sustainable seafood and forestry, species recovery and protected habitats 150, 000+ 100+ WWF-Canada has a membership of more than 150, 000 supporters Working in over 100 countries around the world, WWF is one of the world’s most respected, independent conservation organizations © David Woodfall / WWF-UK 3

State of the natural planet The Global Living Planet Index shows a decline of 58 per cent between 1970 and 2012 Source: WWF/ZSL, 2016

State of the natural planet The key threats to global wildlife: Habitat loss and degradation Species overexploitation Pollution Invasive species and disease Climate change Source: based on Salafsky et al. , 2008

Overarching purpose of Canada’s environmental and energy legislation • 2012 – organized around ‘responsible development’ • 2017 – must be organized around ‘building a modern sustainable economy’ 6

Building a modern sustainable economy: unifying objectives • Maintain and restore vital ecological goods and services communities and species depend on • Uphold international climate commitments; decarbonize energy production and consumption • Uphold rights of Indigenous peoples’ access to and stewardship of our natural wealth, including the Crown’s duty to consult • Honour the right to a healthy environment 7

Recommendation 1: shift from pipeline facilitator to energy regulator Environmental Assessments: return the jurisdiction over federal EAs for pipelines and other major energy projects from the National Energy Board and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission back to CEAA. (Pending sufficient overhaul of current EA processes). Regulation: Work with provincial regulators to oversee the life cycles of approved projects: • monitor emissions (e. g. fugitive emissions from fracking) & ecosystems impacts; ensure that they remain within thresholds identified in EAs • provide effective enforcement • feed data and analysis into various decision-making processes (EAs, national carbon accounting) 8

Recommendation 2: operate within national carbon budget • Decarbonize energy production and consumption – we have no choice • Project emissions as a triggering mechanism for EAs; rejection of those that exceed national carbon budget • New federal institution needed to build coherence on federal climate policy with national carbon accounting and reporting 9

Recommendation 2: operate within national carbon budget, cont’d • Important supporting role for the NEB: – providing energy-sector carbon data, modelling, analysis and advice to government on the compatibility of categories of energy development with Canada’s carbon reduction plan – auditing of national energy sector emissions – assist EA panels with assessing project-level emissions estimates 10

Sub-recommendation C: support integrated, tiered REAs & SEAs • Benefits of tiered and integrated project-level, regional and strategic assessments – avoid policy debates at project level – account for provision of ecosystem goods and services – provide strategic guidance on types and levels of appropriate development – focus on environmental health of ecosystems via cumulative effects • look to past, present, future • understand ecosystem thresholds • provide metrics and indicators for site-specific assessment 11

Habitat-Friendly Renewable Energy © Tanya Petersen / WWF-Canon An illustration of sciencebased, strategic planning for renewable energy development at the regional scale 12

The. WWF Goal ENERGY REPORT • Target: 80 – 95 per cent GHG emissions reduction below 1990 level by 2050 • Energy sector is the most significant contributor to GHG emissions. • WWF has a vision of 100% renewable energy by 2050. 13

Identifying Conservation Values in New Brunswick & Bay of Fundy http: //renewables 4 nature. wwf. ca

Summary: Renewables for Nature (RE 4 N)Tool BETTER DECISIONS. FASTER RESULTS. 1. Regional-scale decision support tool informs site selection of new commercial-scale renewable energy projects. 2. Identifies “areas of opportunity” for renewable energy development -- namely where resource potential is high and conservation value is comparatively low. 3. Reduces risk for industry by identifying areas of critical importance for wildlife and habitats earlier in project development process. 4. Informs site-scale environmental assessment and project approvals. 15

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© Tessa Macintosh / WWF-Canada Sub-recommendation D: prioritize enforcement & monitoring 17

http: //watershedreports. wwf. ca 18

Evaluating stress to Freshwater ecosystems based on 2 indicators of oil spill risk: frequency and magnitude Number of pipeline incidents Volume of substance released

Oil Spill Trajectory Modelling: Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay 1. Prepare for oil spill response planning 2. Inform ocean management and planning Presentation to Company Name

panda. org/arctic/polynya 21

Sub-recommendation E: facilitate open & accessible data • In era of open and transparent government: – government held accountable for data used to inform decisions – proponents’ study results available to public before determination is made – data collected on behalf of crown uploaded to government databases and made available for public use • WWF-Canada Watershed Reports 22

Division of responsibilities • Federal climate agency – set carbon budget • CEAA – conduct tiered, integrated SEAs & REAs • Cabinet and/or Governor in Council (board members who reflect the public interest and are not captured by industry) – approve/reject projects with FULL transparency and within parameters established by SEAs & REAs • NEB & other regulators – oversee day to day operations of projects and ensure they remain within pre-established boundaries 23

What matters most? © Paul Nicklen/National Geographic Stock / WWF-Canada Our legislation and decision-making processes are ultimately based on value judgements. What do we collectively value and depend on the most? Whose interests come first? 24

Thank you wwf. ca 25