Canada's environment is the envy of many countries-
vast wildernesses, oceans, mountains, and clean air cities-
experts, however, are painting a different picture.
Canada is increasingly becoming dependent on foreign oil and, veils of smog in
Canadian cities are now a reality.
The future doesn’t seem promising. The Canadian Government gives the oil
industry $1.6 billion dollars in subsidies every year and $100 billion will be
spent over the next 20 years to develop the Alberta oil sands
Climate Change Specialist Ian Bruce of the David
Suzuki Foundation says that “the vast amounts of oil and
gas we consume on the planet is sending us down a path that is
neither
economically nor ecologically sustainable.”
What to do?
The benefit of the present oil price hikes is to focus attention
on the possibility of a world less dependent on oil.
One of the traditional oil alternatives is
coal.
Coal was the mainstay of the industrial revolution in Europe and
North America, and there have been consequences for the environment.
Ian Bruce explains that, “Since the start of the industrial
era, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have increased 32
per cent and have reached the highest levels in at least 420,000
years. During this period, temperature has tracked the level of carbon
dioxide—high carbon dioxide levels have been connected with
higher global temperatures. “
There are large reserves of coal still available; unfortunately
coal emits large quantities of the gasses, which cause climate
change, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2).
Modern technology helps, with improvements like fluidized bed technology, which
burns coal more efficiently and results in much less pollution.
There are other alternatives such as solar energy and geothermal
energy. Both use the natural energy already present and dramatically
reduce harmful emissions.
Oil free by 2050
In Iceland, geothermal heating accounts for 50 percent of the
country’s heat consumption. Geothermal heating uses heat
from deep in the earth that employs the relatively constant temperature
of soil or surface water as a heat source and sink for a heat
pump, which provides heating and cooling for buildings. In Iceland,
geothermal heating is a bonus when gas is $2.20 a litre. Iceland’s
isolated location combined with high oil prices gave politicians
the initiative to act- in 1999 Icelandic New Energy was initiated
to achieve the goal of a nation that will be oil free by the
year 2050. Iceland’s small population and infrastructure
have made the conversions for oil and petroleum to geothermal
and hydrogen relatively simple. Buses are run on hydrogen and
the first commercial hydrogen facility in the world opened in
Iceland in 2003. Other countries such as China and India have
sent politicians to Iceland to study their success.
Solar Energy
In British Columbia, Canada, there is a growing movement towards
sustainable energy. The British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association
or BCSEA is a non-profit group, according to their website, who
are “committed to promoting the understanding, development,
and adoption of sustainable energy and energy conservation and
efficiency in British Columbia.”
Tom Hackney, Secretary & Treasurer of BCSEA believes that the benefits
from solar energy are twofold, “ Reducing fossil fuel use by increasing
the use of solar energy not only protects people from increased fuel prices
and scarcity; it also avoids greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion
of fossil fuels and so reduces the contribution to global climate change.”
The Solar Hot Water Project is an initiative of BCSEA and offers homeowners
financial incentives for using solar energy to heat hot water.
Solar BC’s website outlines the project thus, “ Roof-mounted solar
collectors capture the sun’s energy and transfer heat to water, reducing
the use of conventional energy, such as natural gas or electricity. Energy
savvy homeowners will be further rewarded by taking advantage of up to $900
in government subsidies.”
It appears that when push comes to shove people can be very creative
and use, rather than misuse the world around them to provide
energy. Hopefully, more programs and institutions like the Solar
Hot Water Project, BCSEA and Icelandic New Energy will become
the norm.
If you are interested in reading more about new energy or becoming
part of the Solar Hot Water Project in BC find out more at these
sites:
http://www.SolarBC.org
http://www.bcsea.org
http://www.davidsuzuki.org
http://www.ectos.is/newenergy/en/
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