What Is Ethical Oil?
Petroleum industry boosters like to say that Canada should produce as much oil as possible because our ethical oil will crowd out oil from bad guys like Russia and Saudi Arabia. Suncor Energy CEO Rich […]
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Alberta, Our Choices Matter
Few people wake up each day looking forward to a life of insignificance. On the contrary: we human beings are schemers and dreamers, and we go through life thinking constantly about our choices. Some things […]
Alberta and the Carbon Budget: An Update
The carbon budget tells us how much CO2 we can emit without pushing the world past 1.5℃ of heating. If we take the concept seriously — and we should — we have to limit the emissions […]
There Will Be Much Less Gas in Canada’s Energy Future
The recent release of the Canada Energy Regulator’s Canada’s Energy Future 2023 report provides us with a powerful tool to look into the future of energy and the economy in Alberta. As I mentioned before, […]
There Will Be a Lot Less Crude Oil in Canada’s Energy Future
Crude oil will play a declining role in Alberta’s economy and emissions profile — that’s a key message in the Canada’s Energy Future 2023 report released by the Canada Energy Regulator. In my last post, […]
Canada’s Energy Future 2023 Is a Wake-up Call for Alberta
The Canada Energy Regulator issued its latest Canada’s Energy Future report on June 20, and the document contains important news for Alberta. Our oil and gas production is set to drop sharply in the next […]
How Strong Are the Net Zero Transition Plans of Alberta’s Oil and Gas Companies?
with an assist from Andy Kubrin When it comes to net-zero transition plans, the ones that count the most are those of the largest emitters — the six major oil and gas firms that dominate […]
Alberta Wildfires and Climate Change
Alberta is entering forest fire season again. As this post goes live, 108 active wildfires blaze across the province, over a burn area exceeding 375,000 hectares. Thirty-one of these fires are considered out of control. […]
The Carbon Budget for 1.5 Degrees
The carbon budget for 1.5℃ is a key concept in climate science and policy. But what is the carbon budget anyway? The best way to understand this concept is to think about a bathtub. That’s […]
Alberta and the Carbon Budget
Few people appreciate the impact Alberta fossil fuels have on the global carbon budget for 1.5℃. But the impact is huge. Recently, I calculated the life cycle emissions of Alberta’s crude oil and natural gas. […]