The Great Shift is underway in the United States.
This is the pivot away from fossil fuels to clean energy, the one the world has been talking about for years now. The one most fair-minded people understand is necessary if we are going to reverse the trajectory the planet is on now. The one that has sent temperatures soaring and has incited discussions not viewed as hysterical about the very future existence of humanity being at stake.
Recently, The New York Times looked at the pace at which the green transformation is occurring in the U.S., China and Europe. Canada gets scant mention in the series, and rightfully so: Instead of plowing ahead aggressively with wind and solar projects in this country, the home of our highest-emitting industry is putting a freeze on them for naked political reasons.
“We look at energy data on a daily basis and it’s astonishing what’s happening,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, told the Times. “Clean energy is moving faster than many people think and it’s become turbocharged lately.”
Hello, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Are you listening?
According to the IEA, more than US$1.7-trillion of the US$2.8-trillion that will be spent on energy this year will be invested in wind, solar, electric vehicles and batteries. A year ago, U.S. President Joe Biden introduced the Inflation Reduction Act which, among other things, offers billions of dollars in subsidies for green energy projects. There has been a deluge of investment since the act was passed.
Places like Tulsa, Okla., once known as the “oil capital of the world,” are becoming green energy hubs. Tulsa’s main electric utility now harvests more than 28 per cent of its power from wind. Clean energy entrepreneurs are flocking to the city.
It’s also happening in oil-loving red states like Texas, where Houston has attracted more than 130 solar and wind-related companies. The writing is on the wall, as the cost of solar and wind power continues to plunge.
Of course, the U.S. still relies heavily on oil and gas. So does China. But they are both moving aggressively to get to a place where fossil fuels are a thing of the past. According to reports, China is set to double its capacity of green energy by 2025, reaching its 2030 goal five years ahead of schedule. Yes, the country remains the world’s biggest polluter. Yes, they account for half of the world’s coal consumption. But the country appears to be working hard to get away from it.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has helped focus the minds of the European Union, which is more motivated than ever to get off oil and gas and establish a sustainable renewable energy grid. Last year, the EU established a nearly $442-billion program that will largely go toward a speedier rollout of renewable power.
The European Commission is backing a target of 45 per cent renewable energy sources in the EU’s energy mix by 2030. This has prompted more and more countries to develop wind and solar capacity. Wind and solar generated 22 per cent of the bloc’s electricity in 2022 – a record – and overtook gas as a grid supplier.
Which brings us to the sad state of affairs in our own country, and in particular Alberta. Last week, the provincial government blindsided wind and solar companies by announcing a nearly seven-month freeze on renewable developments in the province. The reason? Well, that depends on which day of the week it is.
The rationale from the United Conservative Party government continues to shift. First it was because of widespread concerns among rural mayors about the pace of wind and solar projects. Then it was the federal government’s fault. Then the Premier suggested the moratorium was done at the behest of the province’s energy regulators – which did not appear to be the case.
The most likely explanation came in the form of a video that surfaced in which the Premier’s top political advisor, Rob Anderson, is heard bad-mouthing wind and solar energy projects, calling them “butt-ugly” and a “scam.” It’s clear he wants them gone.
In my opinion, you can draw a direct line between the government’s unconscionable decision and Mr. Anderson’s breathtakingly ignorant comments. It’s like Mr. Anderson and his boss are completely blind to what is happening around them. The world is on fire. It’s madness.
Alberta was on pace to be the undisputed epicentre of renewable energy in Canada. It was something the fossil-fuel-loving UCP government could point to when confronted with the charge it didn’t care about the environment. So much for that idea.
Hopefully, common sense ultimately prevails. Or the good people of Alberta say “enough,” and urge their government to rejoin the 21st century.