Subsidies to offset the astronomical price of fossil-fuel-based energy cost the government of Nunavut more than $60 million annually,

$36.5 million of which goes toward diesel-based electricity generation, according to a new report that shows the extent to which diesel subsidies mask how economically beneficial renewable energy can be.

The report, entitled Costing Energy and Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Nunavut, was commissioned by World Wildlife Fund Canada and undertaken by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

An earlier report on barriers to successful renewable-energy deployment in remote northern communities brought to light the need to accurately account for subsidies provided by various levels of government for diesel-fuel purchase, delivery, storage and power-generation infrastructure in the Canadian Arctic. That report — prepared by the Pembina Institute for WWF-Canada — noted that the true price of diesel is masked by multiple layers of subsidies that reduce the price to an artificial level, creating a barrier to adoption of renewable energy.

Across Canada, utility companies are tasked with keeping the lights on in their communities. Renewable energy is proven to be reliable, even in extreme climates, and research shows it can save some Arctic communities millions in ongoing costs, even with existing diesel subsidies. The savings would be even more significant if diesel subsidies were shifted to renewable-energy sources instead.

Megan Leslie, president and CEO of WWF-Canada, says:

“For the sake of our climate globally, and marine environments locally, we need to transition away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible, and we have the ideal opportunity to do so while building a more sustainable local economy. There is no reason for the government of Canada to continue funding the use of a fossil fuel that is not only damaging the environment and human health, but is also more expensive than a clean form of energy. Instead, federal funds should support communities as they develop reliable, sustainable energy sources.”

 Paul Crowley, vice-president of Arctic conservation for WWF-Canada, says:

“Over the past two years we have seen increasing interest from Nunavummiut who want a safe, reliable, cost-effective energy system that lets them keep the lights on without putting the environment they depend on at risk. A hybrid renewable-energy system is possible. And even better, avoiding costly diesel will result in financial savings that could be used to fund other worthwhile programs in Nunavut. The government of Canada could kick-start this transition today using existing funding programs – such as the recently announced Arctic Energy Fund. We look forward to working with them and communities to bring these possibilities to life.”

This report is the latest in WWF-Canada's ongoing work to support remote northern communities as they explore the transition to habitat-friendly renewable power. Previous reports, in partnership with Pembina Institute and Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, have respectively found that government fossil-fuel subsidies are a barrier to renewable energy investment and that investment in a mix of renewable energy in northern communities can lead to significant reductions in operations and maintenance costs and carbon dioxide emissions. 

Switching to renewable energies improves northern communities by:

• Providing a cost-effective way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
• Ensuring the Arctic environment isn’t harmed by fuel spills from resupply ships and on land.
• Increasing independence for remote communities in the North.

Description provided by WWF Canada.

This policy brief examines the potential implications of climate change for disaster preparedness and emergency management in Alberta’s cities, and presents options by which the resilience of these systems may be enhanced. 

Key Messages

• Projections for more intense and frequent extreme weather events need to be integrated with disaster and emergency management planning.
• Contingencies for spare capacity and flexibility to deal with climate hazards occurring simultaneously or in quick succession need to feature in disaster and emergency management planning.
• Strategic investments in disaster prevention measures, including climate-resilient green infrastructure and updated building codes, will provide significant long-term cost savings and social benefits.
• Continuous outreach and engagement processes can ensure that citizens prepare for and can respond to climate-related disasters.

The Building a Climate-Resilient City series was prepared for the City of Edmonton and the City of Calgary by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the University of Winnipeg. This series looks makes recommendations for steps that cities can take as part of their municipal adaptation planning to build their resilience to climate change. It explores three key principles of resilience building: robustness (strong design), redundancy (building extra capacity into systems to act as fail-safe networks) and resourcefulness (citizen empowerment).

This policy brief looks at ways to cities can foster resilience in the built environment.

Specifically, the paper explores climate-robust design options, effectively raising the bar in building design, and highlight some emerging Canadian best practices.

Key Messages

• Buildings are now and will be increasingly exposed to higher climate stresses and more frequent co-occurrences of climate shocks such as more variable and episodic snow loads and rain-on-snow episodes. New design tools such as the PIEVC protocol and the Climate Change Hazards Information Portal help developers and asset managers assess climate risk. Climate-smart design tools will provide a long-term strategic benefit to cities.
• The built environment creates urban heat island (UHI) effects, which amplify heat waves and can be deadly to vulnerable elderly and infirm populations. UHI can be mitigated through spatial planning, including the strategic use of green space. UHI impacts can also be mitigated by designating and maintaining cooling stations.
• Architectural protocols such as LEED and district-planning paradigms such as EcoDistricts encourage patterns of resource use and community dynamics that increase resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The Building a Climate-Resilient City series was prepared for the City of Edmonton and the City of Calgary by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the University of Winnipeg. This series looks makes recommendations for steps that cities can take as part of their municipal adaptation planning to build their resilience to climate change. It explores three key principles of resilience building: robustness (strong design), redundancy (building extra capacity into systems to act as fail-safe networks) and resourcefulness (citizen empowerment).

This policy brief examines ways to build resilience in energy and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure as a contribution to building urban resilience to climate change.

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate connections between energy and ICT and other city infrastructure, showcase best practices for improving resilience within these sectors and provide recommendations for action to integrate qualities of resilience into this system. 

Key Messages

• A warming and more variable climate stresses the electricity grid by increasing cooling demand requirements and by its exposure to climate shocks such as ice storms, droughts and tornados.
• Conventional infrastructure design standards need to be strengthened to account for climate change impacts; the PIEVC protocol is a proven Canadian methodology.
• Renewable energy generation and storage technologies are modular and distributed, and provide resilience to climate shocks.
• ICT is naturally decentralized and modular, and has high climate resilience. Redundant landlines, Internet service provider diversity, emergency roaming and cell phone micro-charging backup systems will increase ICT climate resilience.

The Building a Climate-Resilient City series was prepared for the City of Edmonton and the City of Calgary by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the University of Winnipeg. This series looks makes recommendations for steps that cities can take as part of their municipal adaptation planning to build their resilience to climate change. It explores three key principles of resilience building: robustness (strong design), redundancy (building extra capacity into systems to act as fail-safe networks) and resourcefulness (citizen empowerment).