Celebrities & Oilsands | Climate Attitude Shifts in Alberta | Clean Energy Jobs Boom
- Details
- Published on Monday, 28 September 2015 16:45
- Written by editor
Like 
Tweet 
Forward
Celebrities and the Oilsands: Help or Hindrance?
By now, it’s an almost entirely predictable routine: a celebrity takes a tour of the Alberta oilsands for a day or two and quickly harnesses apocalyptic rhetoric in press conferences to detail the experience. Chagrined industry spokespeople lash out. News coverage dissipates after a few days. Rinse and repeat.
But do celebrity visits help push dialogue about the oilsands out of gridlock?
“Where they can often fail is there’s a really naive and limited zero-or-one view of fossil fuels,” says Imre Szeman, Canada Research Chair in Cultural Studies and co-director of the University of Alberta’s Petrocultures research cluster.
Job Growth in Canada's Booming Clean Energy Sector Outpaced Every Other Sector in 2013: Report
A new report from Clean Energy Canada finds that in 2014, the value of clean energy projects approached $11 billion, an increase of 88 per cent from 2013.
“Here’s a good news story on the clean energy front—investment is pouring in, and employers are hiring,” said Merran Smith, executive director of Clean Energy Canada. “Canadians are concerned that we’ve put too many eggs in the oil and gas basket, and the clean energy sector can help round out the Canadian economy.” Read more.
Could Canadian Lawyers Replicate the Landmark Dutch Climate Victory?
The courts are “our best hope for averting dangerous climate change” believes Dutch lawyer Roger Cox who recently won a case that will force the Dutch government to more deeply cut its emissions.
The big question is: could the decision be replicated in Canada? That's not entirely clear, but bringing a case to court would have its benefits.
“Politicians and the media falsely claim acting on climate will harm the economy, but it’s easy to prove in court reductions are not so difficult,” Cox said. Read more.
Climate Summit Marks Attitude Shift in Alberta
“The days of denial are over,” said Environment Minister Shannon Phillips, kicking off the 2015 Alberta Climate Summit held recently in Edmonton. She was sending a message that Alberta’s attitude and commitments around climate change are changing.
The summit explored policy solutions in several areas, including carbon pricing, renewable electricity and energy efficiency. Read more.
SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM - DONATE TO DESMOG CANADA!
r0