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Summer 2010
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Survey reveals surprising insights from leading thinkers on sustainability
In addition to the usual goings on here at Pembina, in this edition of eNews we also present key findings from the 2010 Global Thought Leader Survey on Sustainability, conducted by McAllister Opinion Research on behalf of the Pembina Institute. More than 5,000 respondents included leaders within government, academia and the private sector, making this one of the most significant barometers of how thought leaders rate progress on energy and environmental issues.
"This survey provides insight into the challenges and opportunities facing Canada on energy and the environment, and highlights the fact that Canada is slipping behind in its ability to compete in the emerging clean energy economy," says Marlo Raynolds, executive director of the Pembina Institute.
Indeed, we found much agreement among thought leaders on sustainability issues, as well as a few surprises — read on to see the results.
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SURVEY FINDINGS
Federal leadership out of touch with leading thinkers on most pressing issues facing Canada
 Respondents to the Global Thought Leader Survey on Sustainability identified climate change as the top priority for world leaders in the decade ahead, but the vast majority (77 per cent) said Canada is doing a poor or very poor job of addressing it. We found the negative perception of Canada's performance somewhat surprising, considering 59 per cent of the respondents to this survey were actually government employees and advisors — mostly at the federal level. It's a sensible response though, considering that
the federal government's latest annual Climate Change Plan, the only document where the government is required to provide a full list of its measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and estimate the reductions from each measure, admits minimal action on GHG emissions.
The majority of survey respondents (68 per cent) point to "federal leadership" as the key factor affecting Canada's ability to make progress on sustainable energy issues. As for actions the government is taking to address climate change, our survey shows thought leaders don't believe it's the right kind of action. Just 17 per cent of respondents say nuclear power is the way forward, and only seven per cent see strong potential in coal with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Yet these are two of the federal government's top environmental spending priorities.
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Most agree increased energy efficiency and renewable energy have the highest potential to address climate change
 While survey respondents told us that they disapprove of the federal government's approach to addressing climate change, they also told us they had some ideas of their own about what Canada should be doing. Ninety-four per cent said increased energy efficiency and 93 per cent said renewable energy have a medium or high potential to address climate change.
Countries like the U.S., Germany, India, China and Spain are leading the way when it comes to investment in renewable energy. Here at home, though, the federal government's funding for the suite of ecoEnergy programs that help Canadian homeowners, businesses and industries invest in renewable energy solutions will come to an abrupt end by the end of the next fiscal year. That's only intensifying the gap in spending on renewable energy between the U.S. and Canada to a ratio of nearly 18:1.
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Everybody's saying the time has come to cut subsidies to fossil fuels, but will Canada act?
Thought leaders also weighed in on what could help Canada build a green economy. Most (58 per cent) agreed cutting subsidies to fossil fuel-based energy has the highest potential of all policy options to get us there. The federal government alone awards approximately $2 billion a year in tax breaks to oil and gas producers that could otherwise be invested in a green economy.
Syncrude oil sands complex north of Fort McMurray. Thought leaders agree, it's time to phase out subsidies to fossil fuels.
At the G20 summit in Pittsburgh in 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper committed, along with his international counterparts, to a phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies "over the medium term." However, Canada's submission on subsidies to this year's G20 summit in Toronto doesn't acknowledge any of the tax breaks that oil and gas producers continue to enjoy. This makes quite a contrast to President Obama, who has recently proposed phasing out 12 specific subsidies to oil, gas and coal producers.
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Carbon tax and cap-and-trade both needed in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Fully 66 per cent of respondents say that a carbon tax, or a carbon tax combined with cap-and-trade, is the best approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Only six per cent say cap-and-trade will work alone and just three per cent think neither is required.
Here at the Pembina Institute, we've done a lot of work on carbon pricing policies. We've done in-depth economic modelling, assessed a variety of carbon-pricing policies and researched the key elements of effective cap-and-trade systems. The bottom line is the most effective carbon price will be one that covers at least 80 per cent of Canada's emissions and minimizes loopholes, giveaways and special treatment. Find out more here.
Download the 2010 Global Thought Leader Survey on Sustainability to learn more.
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PEMBINA SUPPORTERS
Meet Sam Horwood — medical doctor and environmentalist
 When we interviewed Sam Horwood, he was just weeks away from ending a 50-year career as a medical doctor, which has spanned from neonatal intensive care to psychotherapy.
After half a century of hard work, he’s looking forward to going back to some of the things he’s loved since the very beginning.
“(The environment) has always been a very important area for me from quite a young age,” he says. “I remember as a school-aged kid going to camp and treasuring the outdoor experience.”
“I recently planted some native plants in our backyard and they’re thriving and they bring so much joy to us . . . I hope we’ll be able to do more of those things.”
It’s fitting, given Sam’s love of the outdoors, that he’s chosen to support organizations that work to protect the environment. The Hamilton, Ont., resident first heard of Pembina when he received a brochure in the mail a few years ago.
“I’ve been to Alberta probably a half-dozen times, but I didn’t have any awareness of an organization like that in Alberta, so it piqued my interest,” Sam says. “I thought you were doing extremely important work around environmental issues.”
Not only is Sam looking forward to having more opportunities to experience the great outdoors in his retirement, but he’s also anticipating having more time to learn about the issues — and Pembina’s work.
“I think that environmental organizations are doing miraculous things in challenging the status quo,” Sam says. “It’s so worthwhile, and increasingly there are some successes.”
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
Canada positioned well for free air conditioning and heating
 We recently assessed geoexchange systems and discovered how economically and environmentally valuable these systems are for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Geoexchange systems use the constant temperature just below the earth's surface to heat and cool buildings. These types of systems use mature, proven technologies and have been successfully used around the world for years, and they’re extremely efficient, providing three to four units of free energy for every one unit of energy consumed. Check out our fact sheet to learn more.
Northern Lifeblood
 The pristine and ecologically significant Mackenzie River Basin is the lifeblood of the North and has sustained people, flora and fauna for millennia. Today, the basin is at risk from oil sands development occurring in its headwaters. Our latest report,
Northern Lifeblood – Empowering Northern Leaders to Protect the Mackenzie River Basin from the Risks of Oil Sands Development, investigates current and future threats to the basin, including the risks associated with the 170 square kilometres of toxic tailings lakes in the Athabasca watershed. This report details opportunities for both northern leaders and the federal government to proactively protect northern waters. Important actions include: enforcing existing federal laws, supporting water protection initiatives and transboundary water agreements, improving water quality monitoring, participating in the approval process governing oil sands development, and investigating opportunities for legal actions.
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TOP BLOGS
Oil Sands blog: Danielle Droitsch speaks to the vigorous debate occurring in the U.S. over the use of oil from the oil sands and answers the question: How should Canada respond? This blog was picked up by six major Canadian daily newspapers.
Climate Blog: Chris Severson-Baker looks at what’s at stake if Capital Power’s Alberta Genesee 3 coal plant is allowed to scrap a requirement that it offset half its greenhouse gas emissions.
 Subscribe to our RSS feed to receive our latest blog posts
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PEMBINA PERSPECTIVES
While Pembina was not involved with the “Rethink Alberta” campaign, we have some ideas on how Alberta could avoid further reputational damage: “It's a valid criticism that oil sands environmental management has not kept pace with the rapid rate of oil sands expansion and that the setting of environmental rules has been granted less importance than increasing production. Alberta could regain some credibility by pausing new project approvals until some of the key missing elements to responsible management are in place."
— Simon Dyer, Director, Oil Sands Program. Published in the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Beacon. Read the full article.
Climate change is a global problem, and all countries have a role to play in deciding how to tackle it.... But it's the leaders of the richest countries who bear the greatest responsibility for the emissions now in the atmosphere, and it's to them that the rest of the world is looking for leadership — which includes both funding climate action in poorer countries and raising the level of their ambition in taking action at home."
— Clare Demerse, Associate Director, Climate Change Program. Published in e-Au Courant. Read the full article.
Read more op-eds from Pembina's experts.
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IN THE FIELD
In a "Battle of the Ponytails," both Marlo Raynolds, executive director, and Rob Macintosh, one of the Pembina Institute's founders, lost their long locks to raise almost $40,000 at our 25th anniversary celebration held in Calgary on June 11. (Photo: David Dodge, The Pembina Institute.)
In our 25th anniversary video series, David Dodge interviews Dr. David Keith, professor of energy and environment, about climate change, federal inaction and solutions. "It's unacceptable to think about using the atmosphere as a free waste dump." — Dr. David Keith. Be sure to watch our other interviews with David Suzuki, former Prime Minister Paul Martin, Dawson Creek mayor Mike Bernier and more. Watch the video.
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