Steven Kuhn: Canada’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change and Director General of Multilateral Affairs and Climate Change

Meet Steven Kuhn, Canada’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change and Director General of Multilateral Affairs and Climate Change. Steve began working with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in May 2020, but he is no stranger to government, having worked for over 20 years in the federal and provincial public services. “I love that there is a large variety of careers that can be built within the federal public service, as well as our ability to witness, and sometimes influence the course of our country and the world,” says Steve. “Working as an international environmental and climate change negotiator clearly fits this mark.”

Steve spent 2 ½ weeks in Glasgow at COP26, the meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement that was billed as the most important climate conference since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015. Among the key goals of COP26 was keeping a 1.5 °C temperature increase within reach – what parties committed to strive for in the Paris Agreement and what the science now tells us is necessary. In the 2 years leading up to the conference, the UK COP26 Presidency led a strong diplomatic effort to push all countries to come forward with enhanced nationally determined contributions (NDCs), mid-century net-zero targets, and new climate finance commitments to support developing countries.

For Canada, this meant the culmination of work over a number of years, our 2030 plans and 2050 targets, and all of the associated policy elements, as well as our work on adaptation, climate finance and more.

With the adoption of the Glasgow Climate Pact and a wide-ranging set of substantive outcomes, it is fair to consider COP26 as the most successful COP since Paris in 2015. For Steve and his interdepartmental team of negotiators, an important part of the outcome was finalizing the outstanding elements of the “rulebook” which laid out how the Paris Agreement is being implemented around the world. By ensuring that important elements such as transparency, common timeframes and effective markets for emissions trading were completed, the highest ambition by all countries becomes possible.

“One of the important roles that Canada played this year was leading an international effort to further build trust that developed countries stand by their commitments and deliver on the US$100 billion climate finance goal through 2025,” says Steve. “This financial commitment is a critical element in ensuring that all countries are able to deliver maximum ambition on mitigation and to ensure their resilience to the effects of climate change.”

Notwithstanding the important work that Canada delivers on climate change, Steve knows that no country on its own can sufficiently tackle the significant global challenge of climate change. It is in this area that ECCC’s International Affairs Branch shines. Steve explained that its role often adds up to communicating Canada’s climate change actions on the international stage, and influencing other countries to take similarly ambitious action.

The science shows that this is the critical decade of action, and necessary to put us on a path towards net zero emissions by 2050. Steve reflects on this in very personal and concrete terms, “my oldest child will be my age in 2050 – which just reinforces that 2050 is not far away.” Steve is excited to think about the sustainable transformations that will happen throughout Canada and the world over this period, and the opportunities to come.

To learn more about Steve’s work, visit the International Affairs and the environment web page.

Here are a few random facts about Steve:

• What was your first job? As a teenager, I was a summer camp director. We led weeklong canoe trips down the Grand River in southwestern Ontario, largely for under-privileged children.
• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? I love travelling, and am fortunate to be able to do a lot of it. I like places where I can breathe history. I also love meeting people who have all the joy in the world despite having none of the riches of the world.
• If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to? The past is important for learning, but working in the present is the only way to change the future.
• How many pairs of shoes do you own? Very few – one pair for running around, a pair of flip-flops for lounging around, and a pair for work that I had to find in the back of my closet to bring to Glasgow!
• If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have? The power to open people’s hearts and minds to understand one another’s perspectives and experiences.
• What's your favourite zoo animal? Animals aren’t meant for zoos – but I once lived in Africa and loved watching giraffes, which are a fantastic example of nature’s adaptive capability.
• Summer or winter? Summer for biking and paddling – and spring for anticipation and new life.
• Do you love or hate rollercoasters? Roller coasters are all right but I love waterslides.
• What's your favourite movie? I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for movies with a redemptive theme, with Good Will Hunting and The Shawshank Redemption being my favourites.
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Who knows? That’s part of life’s great adventure!

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