History of Energy:

Every day, our lives depend on energy use — for transportation, the food we eat and how we prepare it, the homes we live in, the products we use, and many other comforts. Energy consumption has grown and continues to grow exponentially. While energy is a necessary part of modern living, we must transition to clean, renewable sources so that we can mitigate rising temperatures due largely to CO2 emissions. Fossil fuels still comprise the vast majority of our energy today. Our reliance on coal, oil, and gas — energy sources that are non-renewable — causes increased CO2 emissions and accelerates climate change.

For most of human history, work was done with muscle power, either by humans or non-human animals like horses. Eventually, fire was discovered and humans relied on it as a primary energy source for warmth and cooking food. The burning of biomass — solid fuels such as wood, waste from crops, and charcoal — was the primary energy source around the world for much of the early part of humankind. The need for energy increased exponentially with our increased technological innovations and resulting transportation and industrial activities. In the mid 1700s, the Industrial Revolution brought about the reliance on coal for energy. It was used heavily during this time and enabled further transport of both people and goods. Oil and gas were discovered soon after and became increasingly in-demand, especially with the introduction of the automobile in the 1900s, which became increasingly cheap and mass-produced, further increasing the need for fossil fuels. The addition of hydropower followed, and in the 1960s, nuclear power was introduced. While renewable sources have always been used in varying capacities — from windmills to water mills to passive solar — it wasn’t until the late 1980s that they became a more viable energy source with slow but increasing adoption.

The Paris Agreement and commitments to net zero

Now in 2023, fossil fuels still power most of our energy needs, and at a debilitating cost. There is a need to swiftly transition off fossil fuel to low-carbon energy sources. The climate crisis is a direct result of our reliance on energy supplied by the burning of fossil fuels and the UN has declared the following:

The science shows clearly that in order to avert the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a livable planet, global temperature increase needs to be limited to lower than 2C above pre-industrial levels. Currently, the Earth is already about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s, and emissions continue to rise. To keep global warming to lower than 2C — as called for in the Paris Agreement— emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition

Countries around the world have made varying levels of commitments to reach net zero by 2050. The first lesson highlights the innovative ways that some countries are using their resources, natural strengths, and ingenuity to meet the critical demand for clean energy.

There is a broad range of initiatives, from policies put in place for reducing carbon emissions and incentives for accelerating the adoption of electrification of transportation to increasing our access to renewable technology and using renewable energy sources directly. Also highlighted is the critical need to not only reduce CO2 emissions, but to also preserve, expand, and protect natural areas, forests, wetlands, and other green spaces as carbon sinks. 

What are Canada’s commitments, targets, and policies? 

The International Energy Agency (IEA) documents all of its member countries’ energy policies. Most countries are members, so if you live outside of Canada you can look up your own country’s report and compare it to other countries’ policies.

Canada now has a target to “cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40–45% by 2030 from 2005 levels to reach net zero emissions by 2050” (IEA, 2022). Here are some ways Canada hopes to achieve these targets:

carbon pricing (carbon tax) scheme with increasing rates over time

clean fuel regulations

phasing out unabated coal (burning with no pollution regulations) by 2030

expanding nuclear plants

methane regulations

energy efficiency programs

decarbonizing the transportation sector

Terminology:

  1. Bias: When a prejudgment or belief from an individual or organization affects the argument shared about a topic. Sources that are strongly biased often do not provide credible sources for their facts.
  2. Biofuels: A renewable energy source that produces carbon emissions. Historically, almost all of our energy came from biomass fuels (solid biofuels): peat, dung (poo!), or wood. Today, many people living in poverty only have access to biofuels. As well, we are learning to generate energy from new sources: our sewage, animal waste from farms and food crops (e.g., corn, sugarcane).
  3. Carbon footprint: Part of an ecological footprint that focuses on the amount of carbon dioxide being emitted by a person or an organization. According to the Footprint Network, the carbon footprint is currently 60% of our ecological footprint (see below).
  4. Credible: Someone or something that is worthy of being believed.
  5. Decarbonization: The process of removing carbon-emitting energy sources and converting them to zero-emission sources.
  6. Disinformation: False information that is deliberately created to mislead people, often spread through social media or biased websites.
  7. Ecological footprint: A measurement tool that calculates how fast we use resources and create waste in comparison to what nature can provide and support. Usually measured by the number of Earth’s needed to support a specific individual.
  8. Energy: The ability to do work (in these lessons, referenced through the different sources that can provide energy).
  9. Energy self-sufficiency: When a community or building does not need to buy, connect to, or import energy from an external company or electrical grid to meet its needs — especially important for remote communities that do not have an electrical grid.
  10. Energy poverty: Hundreds of millions still lack access to sufficient energy, which has consequences for the natural environment and the lives of these people (if they use an inefficient source such as biofuels).
  11. Energy source: Part of the energy supply, offering energy in its most basic form (e.g., sun, wind, running water)
  12. Energy sovereignty: Indigenous communities (or other communities) being able to make informed decisions about and supply their own energy needs in a way that is affordable to the community. It is part of the process of decolonization.
  13. Net zero: Greenhouse gas emissions are at zero, either because there are no emissions or because they are balanced by the equal removal of those emissions (e.g., through carbon capture, utilization, and storage)
  14. Renewable: A source that can be replenished and renewed naturally
  15. Non-renewable: A source that once used up is inaccessible and cannot be renewed.
  16. Sustainability: A complex word that gets used differently, especially in the context of “sustainable development.” The UN has 17 sustainable development goals which outline 17 goals with targets that “provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.” (https://sdgs.un.org/goals)
  17. Technology: The application of knowledge to practically aid human life.
  18. Terawatt hours (TWh): 1 terawatt = 1 billion watts (e.g., an LED light bulb uses 2–18 watts)
  19. Tonne: 1000 kilograms (~2,205 pounds)