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Siloed climate data needs to be opened up and shared
Experts need to be able to see data in the context of Canada’s big-picture goals. (File photo: Thomas Lefebvre/Unsplash)
Canada is not on track to meet its goal of becoming net zero by 2050. Its greenhouse gas emissions are higher than they were decades ago, and it turns out the federal government’s data points and models might have been too optimistic.
One problem with these models is a lack of analysis and peer review. For the most part, climate science is inaccessible, which is ironic given that the goal for it is to raise general awareness. Institutions tend to charge fees for access to research, and academics use complex jargon in it.
Research processes are closed, meaning no outside participation is permitted after researchers deem the project complete. This helps experts release pertinent information, but the world is constantly developing. Closing data collection or observational case studies can hinder accuracy.
Open science, however, could change things for the better. The practice of open science makes research processes and findings available to all, helping to support a public dialogue about climate science.
The federal government supports the approach, and in 2020, it set out a roadmap to encourage and guide policymakers. Yet, federal agencies have been delaying or deprioritizing measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions, a discovery the auditor general made in 2023.
Somewhere, there is a disconnect between information and action.
A stronger push for more accessible and shareable climate science will be crucial to convincing the federal government to direct investments more efficiently and be more accountable to taxpayers, who fund the research. It could help align citizen values with governmental interests and make it easier to justify the use of tax dollars for climate action.
The long road ahead
Having all this climate science isn’t enough on its own, though. Interoperability is a hurdle. Computer systems need to be able to exchange information and work together. Experts need to be able to see data in the context of Canada’s big-picture goals.
But across the nation, some climate information is public while some is not. It resides in too many silos, often restricted by online accounts and proprietary hardware. Essential information is so spread out that it has become untouchable.
The cloud would be the best solution for the federal government to organize its data and allow for information-sharing and collaboration. Cloud-computing infrastructure includes on-demand servers, storage systems and networking tools hosted over the internet. Anyone can access the files stored on it anywhere, anytime.
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Cloud access would make it easier for climate researchers to uncover broad trends and reproduce findings. It would help everyone get on the same page about climate circumstances regardless of their location because experts could compare local findings with those in a distant province, leading to more accurate and well-rounded perspectives.
In 2021, the minister of natural resources partnered with Microsoft Canada to leverage the cloud for climate-action research. One of the related projects was a mining-risk mitigation map that collects nationwide data to draft an accurate image of mining operations.
Cloud computing and open science are a long way from being a sustainable reality, however.
In the U.S., 25 per cent of businesses report data-centre outages costing upward of $1 million U.S. The technology needs to be made more efficient and reliable. Using external renewable battery storage, for instance, could keep operations running all year without interruption. Prioritizing renewables would also reduce the environmental impact of data centres.
Progress with open science
Canada’s roadmap for open science is a step in the right direction, with its outline of next steps that need to be taken while respecting Canadians’ privacy, security and intellectual property.
Another worthy roadmap is the federal government’s commitment to climate change and sustainable growth in its 2022-24 National Action Plan on Open Government. It contains milestones to make the federal government more transparent, helping Canadians hold it accountable. Out of its 13 climate-related obligations, it has completed nine and made substantial progress in three.
So far, the National Action Plan has provided accessible educational content like interactive maps on critical topics like biodiversity, water health and air quality. It has also funded several climate-change research projects, including explorations in how artificial intelligence can help the climate. It also worked with the Lacuna Fund to connect data scientists, academics and policy influencers to make headway on urgent matters.
Its deadline is the end of 2024, and its commitments are on track. It has also facilitated conversations with foreign governments and Indigenous Peoples to ensure diverse viewpoints are considered.
That said, Canada still has a long way to go. Its climate science lacks co-ordination, an obstacle acknowledged in the government’s Climate Science 2050 knowledge report, which says enabling science co-ordination is a priority alongside funding and strategic planning.
To bridge the gap between research and policymaking, the public must push the government toward a future where cloud computing supports open science. People can do that by:
- Spreading awareness on the benefits of open science and cloud computing with neighbours.
- Attending local government meetings and expressing interest in having representatives put open science and data access issues to vote.
- Volunteering at nonprofit organizations connecting with policymakers.
Higher emissions than ever
As part of Canada’s commitment to net zero by 2050, it created midpoint targets in 2030. Those 2030 targets won’t be met, the auditor general said in its 2023 evaluation of the federal government’s emissions-reduction plan.
The country is on track to achieve only a 34 per cent reduction of emissions by 2030, the evaluation says. That falls short of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s stated aim to reduce them by at least 40 per cent from where they were in 2005. This also comes after Environment and Climate Change Canada revised the goal to a reduction of 36.4 per cent in a 2022 report.
The document suggests a 31-per-cent population increase and a 54-per-cent rise in gross domestic product are the inspiration behind the adjustment. However, the Emissions Reductions Plan will attempt to decouple itself from these influences as much as possible, meaning progress should occur despite the climate impacts of population and commerce.
The federal government has a history of missing targets. Since 1990, it has created roughly a dozen plans to get on track with net zero goals. It missed targets for all of them.
Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions are higher than they were decades ago. The country emitted 16.5 per cent more in 2022 than in 1990, totalling around 708 megatonnes of carbon dioxide. The United States, by contrast, has committed to achieving its net-zero goals by 2050, even with climate policies that are more mild than Canada’s.
Net-zero by 2050 is a deadline worth striving for.
If Canada fails to hit its net-zero goals, it falls short of its commitment under the United Nations’ Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change. Canadians should not accept failures like these. Every year of postponed solutions comes at the expense of people’s well-being and livelihoods.
Open science is the key to raising awareness, regaining the public’s trust and making climate solutions more effective. Expert roadmaps exist. All policymakers must do is stick to them.
If Canadians hold their government accountable, they stand a chance of getting back on track to reaching a 40-per-cent greenhouse gas reduction by 2030.
This article first appeared on Policy Options and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
