Concern about Canada's oil-sands emissions has migrated to the corporate world. A U.S. retailer's decision to steer clear of the sticky product shows that, more than ever, government and industry must diversify their energy sources, make oil-sands extraction cleaner and be more pro-active in telling Canada's energy story.
The grocer Whole Foods last week announced that it would reduce its consumption of oil sourced from Alberta bitumen. Whole Foods is only one company; giving effect to such a policy, considering the integration of supply chains, would be difficult; and Bed Bath & Beyond, a retailer with outlets in Alberta, at first signed on to a similar declaration but then backed away.
But complacency would be the wrong approach. For the Whole Foods decision is just one of a number coming from outside Canada's borders that cumulatively constitute a real threat. Wal-Mart has ramped up its sustainability programs and just announced a labelling plan showing the sustainability of products sold in Canadian stores. A low-carbon fuel standard that could disqualify oil-sands products from cars is coming to many U.S. states. And Shell is slowing the pace of its oil-patch investments, due to fears of cost overruns.
The Canadian government often points to delays in the U.S. as a reason not to articulate an aggressive carbon-emissions policy. But these trends show why an aggressive policy is needed: Canada can ill afford to be caught wrongly assuming that the world will automatically pay willingly, and dearly, for its oil.
A more responsive approach would mean accelerating research into cleaner oil extraction - especially carbon capture and storage, and investing more in renewable energy.
And it would mean spreading knowledge of the fact that not all of Canada's energy companies are climate laggards. Corporate Knights magazine's Global 100 index, which considers carbon emissions and other indicators of responsible business such as water usage and the number of female directors, just ranked Enbridge, Encana and Suncor in the top 40 worldwide, with good progress: in just two years, oil-sands giant Suncor doubled the output it got from every amount of energy.
The story of this progress needs to be told repeatedly and used to shame companies that are not meaningfully reducing emissions. The Shells, Wal-Marts and Whole Foods of the world are not waiting for cleaner energy. Neither should Canada.