Aligning Canada's Economy with the Ecology
An email to the Federal & Provincial leaders from Calgary Citizens on Climate Change
To: julie.dabrusin@parl.gc.ca
Cc: eleanor.olszewski@parl.gc.ca, audienceandengagement-audienceetmobilisation@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca,
nenshi@albertandp.ca
October 28, 2025
From: Calgary Citizens on Climate Change
Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada, Cc Liberal MP Erik St. Pierre, Cc Eleanor Olszewski, Minister for Emergency Management and Community Resilience, Cc Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cc Naheed Nenshi, Leader of the Opposition in Alberta
Dear Honorable Julie Dabrusin,
Subject: Aligning Canada’s Economy with the Laws of Nature International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States with respect to Climate Change
It is incumbent upon Canadians, through their governments—federal, provincial, territorial and municipal—to transition, as soon as possible, from hydrocarbon energy, and a wasteful consumptive ethos to a circular economy founded upon the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems and water resources. By aligning the Canadian economy with the laws of nature, Canada would be abiding by the protocols issued on July 23rd, 2025, by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States with respect to Climate Change.
With the objective to mitigate climate breakdown, the ICJ decreed that nation states have an obligation to uphold the laws of nature through conservation and preservation of the planet’s functioning ecological systems. In order to abide by this ruling, the ICJ identified the following realignment requirements:
Duty to Prevent Significant Harm:
States must take all necessary measures to prevent or minimize environmental harm from climate change. This duty is based on customary international law and the principle of due diligence.
High Ambition in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs):
States must establish NDCs that reflect their highest possible ambition. As the planet has regrettably exceeded the 1.5℃ temperature increase target, collective actions must now aim for a limit of 1.6℃ of global warming over pre-industrial levels.
Cooperation and Information Sharing:
States are obligated to cooperate in good faith, including through information sharing and transparency, to address climate change.
Developed countries’ Responsibility to Support Developing Countries:
As the economies of developed nation states’ have disproportionately benefited from its wasteful and destructive historical emissions at the expense of undeveloped nations and the global commons, developed countries have a responsibility to provide financial and technological support to developing countries to assist in the latter’s mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
Due Diligence:
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) emphasized that the due diligence standard requires a high degree of vigilance and prevention, and states must use all means at their disposal to minimize harm.
Human rights considerations:
The ICJ ruling highlights the link between climate change and human rights, emphasizing that the enjoyment of human rights depends on environmental protection.
Potential Consequences for Non-compliance:
States that breach their obligations may incur legal responsibility and be required to cease wrongful conduct, offer guarantees of non-repetition, and make full reparation for damages.
In order for Canada to meet these obligations, the following activities must cease:
New fossil fuel development (wells, pipelines, facilities, or accessways)
New mineral resource mines or mine extensions (e.g. Eastern Slopes and Oil Sands mining)
New refineries or interprovincial pipelines for oil or LNG
Carbon capture and storage for fossil fuel development, natural gas hydrogen development, or data centers powered by fossil fuels.
Fossil fuel subsidies of any form.
Flaring exemptions (venting processes eliminated).
Freshwater use in industrial development operations, including data centers.
To implement the foregoing pivotal objectives, we recommend that the Canadian Government adopt and develop the following policies:
A high-grading audit of industrial site cleanup and restoration plans within each province and territory and the collection of deposits on new wells and facilities within brownfield assets;
Remediation, restoration and funding strategies from mine operators and fossil fuel companies (upholding of polluter pay laws: the orphan programs, integrate attribution science, e.g. Saul Luciano Lliuya v. RWE case);
Refining, facility, and pipeline consolidation plans from midstream companies (considering 1.);
Trans-national high voltage electrical grid and electric transport infrastructure considering 1;
Restoration and energy reduction subsidies, beyond polluter pay and climate harm compensation obligations;
Fossil fuel emission reduction plans consistent with the Paris Agreement;
Water and mineral resource circular system procedures.
We, the members of the Calgary Citizens on Climate Change, call upon the Government of Canada to adopt the foregoing protocols and in so doing to assume a climate leadership position consistent with the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States with respect to Climate Change.
Sincerely,
Jenny Yeremiy and Gord Petersen
To add your name:
Send the same email to the same email addresses, add your MP if you like, and Cc me at jenny@thegravitywell.net.