Sustainable Efforts
Key Question: Have efforts to promote sustainability been successful?
The sustainability of economic activities is a growing concern worldwide. Environmentalists, governments, industries, and individuals are making efforts to improve the sustainability of many economic activities. The success of these efforts can be evaluated by examining examples in three areas: the Kyoto Protocol, the Alberta Tar Sands, and alternative energy sources.
Kyoto Protocol
Problem:
Around the world, increased output of greenhouse gases is contributing to a rise in average global temperatures. A further increase of between 1 C and 5 C is predicted - enough to damage physical systems and cause economic losses of up to $5 trillion. Developing countries will suffer more than developed countries. Proposed Solution: At a 1997 conference in Kyoto, Japan, 141 countries, including Canada, signed an agreement that became known as the Kyoto Protocol. Goals: The Kyoto Protocol called on countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012. Canada set a target of 6%. Actions: Countries were free to develop their own plans to meet the targets. In Canada, plans focused on reducing fossil-fuel use. Initiatives included requiring large factories and power plants to cut emissions, federal government partnerships with provinces and municipalities to make infrastructure improvements, support for energy alternatives, and encouraging industries, such as automakers to take voluntary actions. Successes: A 2006 poll by McAllister Opinion Research found that 77% of respondents believed that Canada should meet or exceed its Kyoto targets. The federal and some provincial governments have adopted strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions; some municipalities have also developed plans; and some industries have taken actions. But in 2004, Canada's emissions were 27% higher than 1990 levels. Barriers: Canada has made no progress toward achieving its Kyoto targets. Opposition to Kyoto is strong in some provinces, such as Alberta, and in some industrial sectors, such as the oil industry. Some people say that meeting the targets will mean huge job losses. By early 2007, the federal government had taken no decisive actions. |
Alberta Tar Sands
Problem:
Though the Alberta tar sands contain an estimated 180 billion barrels of heavy oil, separating the oil from the sand requires a great deal of energy. It now takes one barrel of oil to extract three barrels of usable crude. This energy-intensive process means that the tar sands project is a huge source of greenhouse gases. These problems will increase as the project moves from its current extraction rate of one million barrels a day to a projected five millions barrels a day by 2030. Goals: To lower the energy needed to extract oil from the tar sands, to save on production costs, and to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Actions: New, more efficient methods of extracting deeper oil are being tried. These include using steam to loosen the oil and allow producers to draw it upward to the surface, and blasting out the oil using compressed air. One initiative works to extract carbon dioxide emissions from exhaust flues. Successes: More than 80% of the tar sands are owned by the Alberta government and are leased to producers. Government agencies oversee the various projects and monitor environmental conditions. Royalties are structured to favour start-up operations and encourage long-term development. Barriers: Though Alberta is considered a business-friendly province with minimum regulations, some investors remain suspicious of the tar sands project because of its high costs and unresolved environmental problems. At the same time, the world's supply of accessible light crude oil is running out, and energy companies are turning to dirtier sources such as the tar sands, which have the potential to meet a substantial portion of Canada's energy needs in the coming decades. |
Alternative Energy Sources
Problem:
Alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind power, have fewer environmental impacts, and are more sustainable because they do not use up non-renewable resources, such as oil and gas. But alternatives to fossil fuels are developing slowly. Goals: To replace a substantial portion of the fossil fuels that currently dominate Canadian energy supplies with a mix of alternative energy sources. Along with this shift in energy consumption through conservation measures. Actions: Many organizations and businesses are exploring ways of using alternative energy resources. These strategies include retrofitting existing buildings to use "green" energy resources and developing new buildings with a mix of energy sources. Some governments are calling for greater energy efficiency standards for vehicles. In general, alternative energy initiatives are at the preliminary or experimental stage. Successes: Several wind farms in Alberta have shown that wind energy has potential as a source of clean energy. In addition, the cost of producing solar energy using photovoltaic cells is steadily dropping, making these units more affordable and increasing their potential as an alternative energy source. And several newly developed small-scale hydroelectricity also has potential as a renewable energy source. Barriers: Prices for energy from alternative sources are generally higher than conventional sources of power. Existing tax structures favour conventional sources, such as fossil fuels, over alternative sources. Solar and wind power do not provide continuous supply of power and require the development of ways to store energy or to mix energy sources that can be used as needed. |