Prime Minister Mark Carney — celebrated flag bearer for decarbonization — has boldly declared Canada can compete as an energy superpower in a net-zero world. Ahead of Carney’s government’s first budget Tuesday, however, there’s a question being asked by many serious people: “Is this even a net-zero world anymore?”

The Norwegian company Det Norske Veritas (The Norwegian Truth) is now forecasting global net-zero CO2 emissions won’t be reached until the early 2090s.

So I ask energy expert Joe Calnan that very question. Joe is VP of energy for the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, based in Calgary. I’m struck by his youth — he’s not quite 29 — and watch him flinch at my question, but he quickly recovers.

“I think that’s not something that will happen in this century,” his tone wistful. “I’

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