Canada is banning gas-powered cars 5 years ahead of schedule

Canada will ban the sale of cars and trucks that are not zero-emisson by 2035, 5 years earlier than the original goal to meet net-zero emissions by 2050. 

Climate change is a major threat to the world as a whole and we are already seeing how it is affecting Toronto. In efforts to build a green economy, Canada is going electric. 

To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 means that the economy must either eliminate one-hundred per cent of greenhouse gasses or offset its actions through measures such as planting trees or employing technologies that can capture carbon before it is released into the air. 

Now, only zero-emissions cars and trucks will be sold in 2035.

That’s right - by 2035, all new cars and passenger trucks that are sold must be zero-emission. That’s how we’ll build a cleaner, stronger economy that both creates good jobs and cuts down pollution. For more on this announcement, click here: https://t.co/dtmaB9xOQi https://t.co/myBegic2Za

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 29, 2021

In a press release, The Government of Canada stated that numerous investments and regulations will help the economy and indusry transition. 

Minister of Natural Resources Canada, Seamus O'Regan Jr. said that "Achieving this target will require all Canadians, and businesses big and small, to embrace the change and go electric. That is why we will continue to invest in measures that put Canada in the driver's seat to a net zero future."

This new initiative will support the 2030 climate reduction targets, which are 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels. 

Transport Canada announced that "To build a cleaner, more prosperous economy that fights climate change and creates good jobs, the Government of Canada is taking action to cut pollution from all sectors of the economy - including from the transportation sector which accounts for one-quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions." 

Canada has joined over 120 and counting countries in the goal to be net-zero by 2050. Some of the other countries that have committed to the goal include United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, France and Japan.