The recent federal budget placed an emphasis on transitioning to the green economy, which included expanding electrification programs to increase availability of zero-emission vehicles and charging stations including the possibility of increased nuclear power. However, is expanding the electrification infrastructure a sustainable solution to address climate change? It depends on what forms of electrification is promoted by our governments.
British Columbia generates nearly all of its electricity by harnessing the hydroelectricity which is not a renewable resource. The rest comes from forest biomass, wind, natural gas, solar, and landfill gas. The BC NDP government has been promoting the Site C Dam to add to the capacity of the W.A.C Bennet Dam which displaced indigenous habitat and destroyed the eco-biodiversity the Peace Valley. Site C Dam which mired with both economic and environmental costs is what electrification of infrastructure will mean to meet the demand of providing more charging station to power the growing demand of electric cars. The BC is also promoting LNG and fracking which can also be a source of electricity production, for which they were critical of the BC Liberal government their LNG plan when they were in opposition. They should be promoting biomass, solar, wind, landfill gas and development of hydrogen energy.
Ontario is the 2nd largest producer of electricity in Canada. In 2018, about 96% of electricity in Ontario is produced from zero-carbon emitting sources: 60% from nuclear, 26% from hydroelectricity, 7% from wind, and 2% from solar. The Canadian government say it is ready to invest more nuclear energy to generate more electricity with no proposal of how to deal with the nuclear waste.
Not enough is being proposed by both our federal and provincial government’s to promote renewable resources to produce electricity including Solar, Wind, biomass, landfill gas and development of hydrogen energy.
Imtiaz Popat 