2025/05/13 by Kathryn Harrison, Andrew Leach · 1 voice · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Environmental Science · Social Sciences · #Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics #Climate Change Communication and Perception #Climate Change Policy and Economics
paper · doi:10.1080/09644016.2025.2503687
openalex publication_date 2025/05/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Public support for environmental policy historically has declined at times of economic crisis. We consider the impact of three economic shocks – a crash in global oil prices, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine – on climate policy in a highly carbon-intensive country. One might expect Canada to be especially vulnerable to policy retreat given a history of economic crises weakening electoral support and amplifying carbon-intensive industries’ opposition, yet Canada strengthened its climate policies in the wake of each of the three crises. Policy change was primarily attributable to domestic factors, especially policymakers’ personal commitments. External economic shocks had negligible impacts on regulatory policy, though COVID-19 did amplify green spending. The Canadian experience underscores that retreat is not inevitable: governments maintain considerable domestic independence even amid global crises, though how they respond is contingent on the preferences of the government of the day.