Pembina Institute's Green Economics News

Helping Calgary meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets (blog)

Jesse Row — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:35:42 +0000

Recently, Calgary City Council voted overwhelmingly in favour of adopting its first citywide greenhouse gas plan. The plan aims to reduce the city’s emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, and 80 per cent by 2050, below 2005 levels and I’m thrilled to say that the Pembina Institute’s community services consulting group helped to write it.

Carbon pricing and Canada’s New West Partnership: An $8 billion opportunity (blog)

Matt Horne — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:28:30 +0000

The premiers of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan have pledged to meet with the federal government to discuss a national energy strategy and the related issue of regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Before that meeting happens, let’s examine their efforts to price carbon, a critical component of any cost-effective approach to dealing with climate change.

The truth about our funding (blog)

Ed Whittingham — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:01:20 +0000

An open letter from the Pembina Institute to Canadians

Dear friends,

As you may have noticed, the Harper government and the “Ethical Oil Inc” front group have been working to discredit groups like the Pembina Institute and our work on energy issues by claiming that we are a “foreign-funded,” “radical” organization advocating against the best interests of Canadians.

Allow us to set the record straight.

Government statements on Gateway hearings show Canada is open for business, closed to criticism (op-ed)

Nathan Lemphers — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Apparently Canada is open for business but closed to criticism, no matter how constructive. This is the clearest conclusion that can be drawn from Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s open letter to Canadians, in which he attacks advocates of responsible oil-sands development as “radicals” and dismisses the concerns of thousands of Canadians who want to have a say in the decision of whether to build Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline.

Ontario Feed-in-Tariff: 2011 Review (publication)

Tim Weis, Paul Gipe, Green Energy Act Alliance, Shine ONtario — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

In response to the government's two-year feed-in tariff (FIT) review process, the Green Energy Act Alliance and Shine Ontario Association have joined forces to present a clear path for renewable energy in Ontario.

Canada’s Kyoto math doesn’t add up (blog)

Matt Horne — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:53:13 +0000

Yesterday afternoon, my colleagues and I were trying to make sense of the outcomes from the Durban, South Africa, climate change conference. Was it an exercise in deceit or did it offer some glimmer of hope? Before we could fully answer those questions, news broke that Canada was formally withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol. Just hours off the plane from Durban, Environment Minister Kent made the announcement that Canada would no longer be a party to the world’s only climate change treaty.

Attacks on environmental group supporters are disingenuous and disturbing (blog)

Ed Whittingham — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:41:37 +0000

Yesterday the reputation of the Pembina Institute and that of the British government was attacked in a column by Kathryn Marshall, a professional oilsands booster. It doesn’t seem too much to ask of someone who regularly writes commentary in the news media to do a little fact checking. However, this basic journalistic standard appears to have escaped Marshall, as her commentary repeats many misleading or downright false statements about the Pembina Institute and the nature of our work.

Canada’s performance and positions in Durban (blog)

P.J. Partington — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:42:22 +0000

The second and final week of the UN climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa is now underway. In our view, a wealthy country such as Canada that is serious about reaching an agreement, would be doing three things. Let's take a look at where Canada stands on these points.

Looking to Canada’s economic past for wisdom on climate change (op-ed)

Matt Horne — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

New report highlights dangers associated with tar sands pipeline to British Columbia (media release)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000

A new report highlights the dangers associated with transporting tar sands oil by Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway project, both along the pipeline pathway and on B.C.'s sensitive coast, which massive oil tankers would be navigating for the first time. The report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Pembina Institute and Living Oceans Society has also been endorsed by nine British Columbia organizations.

Recommendations to weaken the B.C. carbon tax would be a step backwards (blog)

Matt Horne — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:48:39 +0000

Working on climate change issues can be challenging, especially when you compare what climate scientists say needs to be done with what politicians are (or are not) doing. Tuesday was a particularly challenging day. That's when the British Columbia Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services released 75 recommendations for the 2012 B.C. budget, five of which discuss B.C.'s carbon tax and cap-and-trade rules and convey little interest in building on the positive steps already taken to address climate change in the province.

Pembina Institute Comments on Canada’s Proposed Reduction of Carbon Dioxide from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations (publication)

Matt Horne, Tim Weis, P.J. Partington — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Coal power is one of the worst contributors to global climate change, air pollution, acid rain precursors and atmospheric mercury emissions. Yet, in Canada, coal accounts for the majority of electricity generation in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia and is significant in both Ontario and New Brunswick.

Several provinces have taken strong leadership roles in tackling coal power, however, and federal limits for industrial GHGs should support and supplement this action, with an emphasis on achieving national and international commitments.

These are the Pembina Institute's comments and recommendations for Canada's proposed Reduction of Carbon Dioxide from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations.

Fact: Green energy is good for Ontario (blog)

Cherise Burda — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:56:29 +0000

Ontarians head to the polls on Thursday to elect the next provincial government, at the close of an election campaign where green energy has emerged as a hot-button issue. As the rhetoric has escalated on all sides of the debate, Ontario voters have also had to wade through a great deal of misinformation about their energy options.

Thinking outside the pipeline: Why American decision-makers must consider the true costs of Keystone XL (blog)

Nathan Lemphers — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000

The clock is ticking for the U.S. State Department to evaluate the proposed Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline.

New analysis compares Ontario election promises on clean energy, climate action and sustainable transportation (media release)

Cherise Burda, Tim Weis — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:00:00 +0000

A detailed platform analysis released today by the Pembina Institute compares the commitments the Ontario Liberal, NDP and Progressive Conservative parties have made on a range of sustainable energy priorities.

The analysis looks at where the parties stand on issues such as investing in renewable power generation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating incentives for energy conservation and expanding transit systems.

Analysis of Ontario political platforms (publication)

Tim Weis, Cherise Burda, Sachi Gibson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:00:00 +0000

The Pembina Institute's detailed platform analysis compares the commitments the Ontario Liberal, NDP and Progressive Conservative parties have made on a range of sustainable energy priorities.

Frequently asked questions about green energy in Ontario (publication)

Tim Weis — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Ontario has taken the laudable step of closing down its entire fleet of coal-fired power plants — a move supported across partisan lines. This, however, is but one of the many changes that is coming to Ontario's electricity system.

Tim Weis, director of renewable energy & energy efficiency, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the role that renewable energy could play in the future of electricity generation in Ontario.

Des promoteurs du gaz de schiste nous citent de manière trompeuse (blog)

Matthew Bramley — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:02:38 +0000

Nous cherchions, avec notre étude, à contribuer à un débat bien informé, s'appuyant sur les meilleures recherches scientifiques et économiques. Quelle déception, alors, que deux des principaux promoteurs du gaz de schiste au Québec aient plutôt choisi d'utiliser notre rapport pour faire des relations publiques trompeuses.

Quebec shale gas proponents misrepresent Pembina study (blog)

Matthew Bramley — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:48:40 +0000

At the Pembina Institute we hope that our work stimulates well-informed debate, based on the best available science and economic analysis. It's therefore very disappointing that two of the most prominent proponents of shale gas development in Quebec have chosen to use one of our reports as part of a misleading public relations exercise.

Did Ontarians get a good deal with the Green Energy Act? (op-ed)

Tim Weis — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:00:00 +0000

The Green Energy Act brought Ontario new investment, jobs and manufacturing — not to mention clean sources of energy. But Ontario is now paying premium prices for that clean electricity, and many Ontarians are wondering if they got a good deal.