But range anxiety remains an issue if you want to use this electric car for longer trips
In California, they recently introduced an amendment that will make it illegal to sell or purchase new fossil-fuel-powered automobiles after 2035. You will apparently still be able to buy a used gas-powered car, but in California the writing is on the wall when it comes to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. Battery-powered cars are certainly…
A narrow focus on the green/clean sector won’t get the job done. The sector is too small and the workforce’s skill set doesn't suit the goals
By Jock Finlayson and Denise Mullen Business Council of B.C. After the shock Canadians have experienced in 2020, an economic recovery that focuses on jobs, incomes and business growth is much more important than whether it’s ‘green’ or some other colour. However, in Canadian politics these days green invariably symbolizes good. Never mind that green…
Capitalizing on an educated workforce and taking a hard look at taxation would help the province diversify its post-pandemic economy, according to U of A experts
Growing Alberta’s sustainable energy sector alongside its conventional energy backbone might be a short-term remedy for pulling the province out of its current financial crisis, but University of Alberta economists say it won’t necessarily help the province compete globally. Joseph Doucet, dean of the Alberta School of Business, agrees that investment in a greener future…
While communities see the potential, they require tools and resources to support their efforts in community energy planning
By Tonja Leach and Ericka Wicks QUEST QUEST and Pollution Probe recently launched the Smart Energy Communities Benchmark, a first-of-its-kind tool that provides a powerful benchmark that Canadian municipalities and utilities can use to assess their Smart Energy Community progress. Municipalities have a growing interest in community energy planning because it offers opportunities to strengthen…
Start learning the deep details of the science and economics instead of letting extremists dictate what you’re allowed to think or say
Last year was the year the climate issue took a sharp turn towards extremism. Let’s hope 2020 is the year sanity makes a comeback. There have long been three groups occupying the climate issue. To avoid pejoratives, I will call them A, B and C. The A group are the doubters. They don’t believe greenhouse…
There are formidable technical and economic obstacles to replacing fossil fuels with other forms of energy
With the federal election fast approaching, we can expect to hear a lot about climate change, energy policy and how government can spur the development of a ‘low-carbon’ economy. These themes are central to the platforms of a number of the political parties contesting the election. The discussion of these topics takes place against the…
A ban of anything the environmental movement doesn’t like is smart politics for a government that wants to look green. But a bag ban is pointless
The fish in the movie Finding Nemo had made their great escape. After a far-fetched plan and an unlikely set of circumstances, five fish made it out the window and into the ocean. But since they each floated as buoyant prisoners in plastic bags, one asked, “Now what?” It’s the very question those on the…
Elected officials are wrong to think that "clean tech" is about to reshape the Canadian economy
There’s no evidence that “clean-tech” innovation is about to reshape Canada's economy, no matter how desirable that would be. Across Canada, politicians have become bedazzled by the potential of the clean-tech sector to drive economic growth. The 2017 federal budget earmarks more than $2.2 billion in new spending to boost the industry, with a focus…
Important shifts in production and consumption are underway but any global energy revolution will be considerably slower than many believe
Some Canadian environmental groups claim the world is making a dramatic move toward carbon-free energy sources. The implication is that Canada – one of the world’s largest producers of oil and natural gas – should quickly abandon the fossil fuel economy and embrace renewable energy as the only pathway to a prosperous future. Important shifts…
The assumptions underpinning Alberta’s economy are wrong
Alberta is changing. It has a new NDP government, a scary new fiscal ‘reality’ with $60 oil and a millennial generation coming of age with a new lease on life. But Alberta is also linked to the past and a very particular set of economic assumptions. Alberta’s economic strategy remains solidly industrial, predicated on oil…