Is climate change real and caused by humans? Terrible floods and massive storms. Disastrous wildfires and warming oceans. The loss of species and the pending displacement of climate refugees that will cause worldwide mayhem. All are said to be caused by our reliance of fossil fuels—and much more. But there are quite a few people who don’t believe it. They think climate change doesn’t exist, or that it’s the result of natural cycles and not our industrial outputs. The vast majority of people think there is a problem but are doing nothing about it.
Only a very concerned minority are trying to invoke serious action. One notable guy is pretty worried. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned at the UN’s 76th General Assembly in September, “We are on the edge of an abyss.” Guterres and many other world leaders say we are past the point of talking about “climate change” or even a “climate crisis.” We face a “climate catastrophe.” They warn of massive loss of life in the coming years, even possibly the destruction of our civilization. They say the longer we fail to act, the worse the catastrophe will be.
From the pandemic experience we know that as concern over a climate crisis grows, there will be an entrenched minority who will fight against any remedial action, ridiculing it. Finding solutions to climate change is enough of a challenge. But just as we have with the pandemic, we’ll have to deal with the extra burden of opposition from a vocal minority.
Pretty much every credible scientist in the world says climate change is real and worsening. Without fast action, we are in deep trouble. We’ve had a good run with fossil fuels. They have enabled us to grow and advance dramatically as a civilization over the last 100 years. But they are dirty, disruptive and expensive, both to produce and to use.
A better alternative, especially one that creates new jobs, would be a good thing. The challenge is that the energy densities of gasoline and diesel fuel are unrivaled. Plus, in liquid form, they are convenient to transport and disperse. A solution that is cheaper and easier is in the works, but it will require retooling society. That’s a huge undertaking.
Electrification seems to be the way to go, although hydrogen as a fuel, at least for some applications, is getting more and more buy-in. Car and truck companies are leading the way for both technologies.
The challenge of transitioning to cleaner energy sources will be greater for Northern Canada because of our cold-winter climate, isolated communities, and the needs of the mining industry. It’s hard to imagine a way to replace diesel trucks for work on ice-roads in the extreme cold of winter. Solutions need outside-the-box thinking.
For example, we could eliminate ice-roads by using dirigibles—slow moving, heavy hauler airships—for re-supply to remote sites. The technology is there, it’s vastly cheaper than building roads, has no impact on the land (or caribou), has almost no carbon footprint, and can be used year-round. Such innovations have to be led and funded by governments, but unfortunately, governments are not known for creative thinking and are notoriously slow to adopt new methodologies. They have to be pushed.
Electrification of cars and trucks will dominate the next several decades. We need fast-charging stations in all northern communities for local use, as well as remote fast-charging stations for highway systems between communities. That deployment is happening in the United States now, led by both government and private-sector players. Canada is slow to get going, but it will happen. It is important that the three northern territories not be left behind.
Also, if long-haul trucks convert to hydrogen to power their engines, we’ll need local fuel sources. Preferably those would come from hydrogen manufactured here, growing Northern economies.
Hydrogen power and electrification are just two emerging energy evolutions that need a practical assessment. There are many more that we should be investigating. We have to consider changes to the way we live and do business. All of it is related. Solutions for the dramatic social and technological changes that are soon to come are imperative.
We very much need a Northern leaders conference so that we can start coming to grips with the unique challenges we will face and determine what needs to be done about it. Such a conference would require participation from all levels—the three premiers, the prime minister and cabinet ministers along with Indigenous governments and industry representatives. And it should be held in one of the northern capitals. These challenges demand a tailored-for-the North solution. We need to figure that out now.
