To further Canada's net-zero goals, look to more progressive countries

Source: Michael Wiggin | · OTTAWA CITIZEN · | September 6, 2023

Thermal energy networks, the dominant form of space heating in much of Northern Europe, could be part of an affordable, decarbonized future.

Source: If we pursue an 'electrify everything' approach, then net-zero is a difficult proposition. But fortunately, there are many different ways to get to net-zero, and other countries are leading the way. PHOTO BY ERROL MCGIHON /Postmedia

We have a climate crisis, people around the world are suffering and Canada is wracked with floods and wildfires. This is not a time to say that net-zero is bad policy or “laughingly impossible,” as recent articles did.

There is much we can do, including seriously considering technologies that are widely embraced by other countries but that are resisted or rejected by our NIH (not-invented here) or NIMBY attitudes.

With our abundant renewable resources, Canada has one of the best opportunities to move seriously toward net-zero. If only our policymakers and scientists/engineers could talk to each other, as they do in other countries.

If we pursue an “electrify everything” approach, then writer Adam Pankratz has a point. We could neither construct nor afford to build enough electricity-system capacity by 2050. But if an option is ridiculous, one should look at other proven ideas — such as ideas that have been the cornerstone of Northern European energy systems for decades. Wasting time criticizing bad ideas isn’t much help. We need workable solutions, even if a major transformation is required.