Canada is known for many things besides being polite, good maple syrup and an obsession with hockey. Canada is global powerhouse of natural resources and the envy of many on the international market scene.
But it’s also a world leader in clean energy – something that most Canadians might be shocked to learn considering the submissive back seat that Canada’s green energy sector holds within the national platform.
New Report:
A report by Clean Energy Canada, a non-profit think tank based in Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University, revealed that Canada’s clean energy sector was growing faster than the country’s economy. The green energy sector grew a third (percentage wise) more than the economy sector between 2010 and 2017.
Each year, the clean energy sector attracts billions of dollars in investment, causing investments to rise by 70 per cent between 2010 and 2017 alone. In 2017, investments in clean energy reached $35 billion.
Navius Research Findings:
Canada’s clean energy sector is not only good for our global economy, but also domestically. Data from the Navius Research, which uses its discretion to see what constitutes a green enterprise and measure the contributions it makes to the economy, included only the firms that are dedicated to the improvement of energy efficiency or energy production.
They found that the green energy sector employs 298,000 Canadians (26,000 in Alberta alone). This sector represents three per cent of Canada’s GDP, or around $57 billion in 2017, compared to agriculture, fishing, hunting and forestry that added to 2.1 per cent of the GDP.
The green sector comprises of companies and jobs that reduce carbon pollution, and either create clean energy, help move it, reduce energy consumption, or make lower carbon technologies.
Why Should We Care?
Its important because it suggests a new way of thinking about the green sector and its brands. Essentially, the clarification system used by Navius Research bands together a wide range of companies. In 2017, Clean transport was the largest green employer because they provided 58 per cent of jobs.
Renewable energy supply currently provides 40 per cent of the green sectors GDP contribution. Despite the fact that these businesses may be classified into transport or energy sector, they are both considered in the business of limiting the effects of climate change.
How Come Nobody Cares?
We don’t hear about green technologies as much as we should. Think about how many stories you see on the successes of clean energy. Unless you are someone who is interested (thank you, dear reader!), you almost have to go out of your way to land across a good story. So why is it? Clearly we seem more environmentally conscientious and socially aware than before. Perhaps the idea of it is still hard to grasp.
Let’s not forget that climate is usually presented as environmental versus economy – as though they are mutually exclusive. The truth is that they are as symbiotic as human and planet. Perhaps we ought to rewrite the narrative a bit more.
The clean energy sector is a melting pot of large global companies, family-run businesses and small tech start-ups.
Related:
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Northern Ontario Warming Quicker Than The Rest Of The Country
