Quebec report says U.S. ‘break’ in climate policies will impact its own GHG targets

The U.S. has created a politically challenging environment for climate action, the Quebec government says in a new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions report, where it estimates that it is now on a path to achieve just 65% of its 2030 target. 

In Quebec’s 2025-2030 Green Economy report, it points to a series of factors, including the U.S. trade dispute, which will have a “deep and permanent impact in Quebec”, including a “slowdown in decarbonization” investments, according to the province’s Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks. 

The report says that the break in U.S. climate change policies will likely lead to a slowdown in investment in the development of emission reduction technologies, which could contribute to higher climate transition costs. 

Quebec set a 37.5% GHG reduction target by 2030 in relation to the 1990 level, a drop of about 30 million tonnes from projected emissions in the absence of climate policies.

“Quebec is facing significant economic and political uncertainty, particularly in the wake of the new U.S. administration, an uncertainty that will influence changes in the economy and GHG emissions over the next few years,” the June 2025 report states. 

Another challenging factor is the abolition of the federal carbon tax, the report says, making Quebec the only Canadian province to charge for household and small and medium-sized businesses GHG emissions through its carbon market.

The report adds, however, that Quebec still considers itself ahead of a number of jurisdictions with regard to decarbonization, primarily due to its production of electricity from renewable sources. 

The report also says there was a record number of electric-vehicle sales in Quebec in 2024, with more than 125,000 new registrations.

The 2025-2030 implementation plan also notably includes a tightening of the regulation on methane reclamation and destruction at engineered landfills.