Rural and Remote Communities are Essential, and Entitled, to a Net-Zero Energy Transition
Source: Gemma Pinchin | · QUEST · | July 25, 2024
When people imagine a net-zero energy future, they often only think of urban centres. But with 1 in 5 Canadians living in a rural community, today’s urban-centric energy transition leaves large swaths of Canada, and Canadians, out of the equation.
If we want to ensure a just energy transition, this won’t do.
To contribute to making sure everyone is included, QUEST Canada is undertaking research in cooperation with Canadian rural communities. We’re setting out to explore what motivations, challenges, and energy opportunities our low-density areas face as rural villages, towns and municipalities set new net-zero goals.
QUEST recently conducted a thorough, international literature review. The review identified six common themes to consider when looking at rural and remote communities and their transition to net zero.
Rural space use
Part of why rural communities are crucial to the net-zero transition, is their large, open areas of land needed for renewable energy and transmission infrastructure. Rural land also offers the opportunity for carbon sequestration, particularly in agricultural spaces, by mixing non-agricultural plants (trees and shrubs) in with agricultural ones.
But with transmission infrastructure most often housed there, outside of core population centres, rural communities must also accommodate the associated visual intrusions and environmental hazards. On top of that, rural communities are often left with high electricity costs or, in the case of remote communities, a lack of access to the grid entirely.
Rural needs
Because rural communities have different needs than their urban counterparts, viewing sustainability and the net-zero transition from an urban lens is likely to further the urban-rural divide. For example, automobiles, in an urban setting, are frequently the least sustainable option. However, in rural settings, cars and trucks are considered necessary to both access local services and keep them in local communities, with the sustainable option being combining trips to ensure fewer ones.