Indigenous leader says decisions “from your heart” are ‘not an impossibility” while Alberta’s premier says it’s “not possible”
The Colossally Irrational Report - Contradictions abound at the Alberta Climate Summit
My Scottish/Irish ancestors arrived on the east coast of Turtle Island in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s and were part of several waves of genocidal colonization of the Indigenous people who were already here. I know I have benefited as a result, and I find this deeply troubling. I like to start every new post by explaining my family’s history and keeping this foremost in my mind (and my writing) at all times. I moved west with my family in the 1970’s and am grateful to be here, producing this newsletter in Moh’kinsstis, and the traditional Treaty 7 territory of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. This territory is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. I recognize that the land I now work and live on was stolen from these nations (truth) and I support giving the land back as an act of reconciliation.
The morning of the Pembina Institute’s Alberta Climate Summit started off with a hushed audience at the Hudson event complex in downtown Calgary.
More than a hundred scientists, researchers, economists, entrepreneurs, politicians, lawyers, physicians, and other professionals listened raptly to the words of Casey Eagle Speaker, a Blackfoot Elder, as he officially opened the conference.
Eagle Speaker, also known as Sorrel Horse, is from the Kainai Nation/Blood Tribe and he gave a welcome and blessing. You could’ve heard a pin drop in the room as he spoke.
“In our beliefs, our spirit has a body which interconnects every one of us. It also connects us to all of our environments. Everything out there has a body, has a spirit. These are our relatives, the mountains, the forests. Everything out there is our relative. How we take care of it is how in turn it takes care of us. Our mother, the Earth. It's like our bodies, and if we can't take care of our bodies, then it also reacts to us.”
"Understanding what we need to do collectively. That even a hummingbird has a responsibility of maintaining a delicate balance of nature. In all of nature, we are nature, and we are the weakest link in all of nature. We fool ourselves into thinking that we are superior to nature and nature keeps handing it down to us... And people panic. Just be aware that what we see so far is just a drop in the bucket of which is to come."
"We all enter storms of some nature - personal and environmental. And we take those in stride. To be a true warrior. To take on any challenge, no matter how daunting or hopeless it may seem, is to enter and seek the enemy. You’re not here for no reason. You're here because you are awarded to take on the challenge that we are deeply responsible for."
With those words in mind, the conference began with a panel on “How we get to net-zero in Alberta,” and the morning continued with another panel on “A clean, affordable electricity grid for Alberta.” There was a discussion about “Preparing Alberta’s workforce to lead in diversifying energy sectors.”
It was energizing, and the mood in the room seemed determined and hopeful, despite the renewable energy moratorium hanging over the gathering.
Read the full story I wrote for The Energy Mix
with excellent additions and editing by Farida Hussain.
Smith’s “can’t do” attitude
But then, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith entered the room.
I won’t dwell on what was said as there was plenty of coverage of Smith sparring with audience members (read my article in The Energy Mix for links, etc.). She was clearly not around in the morning to hear Eagle Speaker’s words, nor did she “read the room” before throwing a damper on hopes of a clean electricity grid any earlier than the farthest deadline of 2050.
Oddly enough, Smith had a lot of enthusiasm for unproven technologies being pushed by the fossil fuel industry (carbon capture), is confident a carbon pipeline can be built across the country, talked about scaling up small modular nuclear energy, and raved about nascent direct air capture (even proponents are urging caution, worried this technology will be misused).
She also didn’t want to waste another opportunity to tell us her experience driving a “zippy” hydrogen car.
Okay, we get it, Smith loves all the same things that big oil proposes. It’s just coincidental that their solutions will prolong their profit-taking for years. And delay Alberta’s ability to get to net-zero.
But when it comes to wind and solar, Smith is not a fan. That’s probably an understatement. She also doesn’t think battery storage is any kind of a solution.
Notley said Smith has “weird ideological hang-ups”
Smith’s appearance was followed by a media scrum, and Alberta’s NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley came in through a side door to say a few words to the media.
“I think there is something to be said for letting the market drive the decisions that will be taken with respect to the most effective, efficient, affordable way to reduce our emissions and I respect that. There’s merit to that. What she's doing is she's picking and choosing winners based on some weird ideological hangups, and she's actually putting her finger on the scale.”
“We know that renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy right now. We talk about trying to lower costs for Albertans. Well then, why aren’t we going with the cheapest form of energy right now?
“Meanwhile, she's pulling out other things, currently, direct air capture. Great, great idea. It's $1000 a tonne right now. So that to me is not the basket we should be putting all our eggs in, when we have a whole bunch of other things right in front of us. This sounds to me like she's just talking as fast as she can to make excuses for a politicized, ideological, uninformed, unscientific way to undermine an incredibly important part of our energy economy that was growing until now.”
After fielding another question, Notley was whisked out the side door and the conference continued.
Wilkinson played “good cop” but failed to mention carbon pricing pause
Smith was followed by Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who revealed conversations behind the scenes in the Alberta-Canada working group are nothing like what was being said publicly (possibly referring to the $8M “freezing in the dark” advertising campaign?).
Wilkinson seemed at first to be a jovial, “good cop” foil to Smith but then failed to mention the pause on carbon pricing for home heating oil, even though the prime minister was announcing it in a news conference in Ottawa around the same time. I wonder why?
The announcement has since erupted in a call from other provinces wanting similar exceptions. Who could have anticipated?
Meanwhile, the Pembina Institute quickly issued a response to the news out of Ottawa while the conference was still winding through its panel discussions:
“It’s disappointing, however, to see the government’s decision to enact a three-year pause of the carbon tax for rural home heating oil instead of investing in reducing heating energy demand through more efficient heating systems and home envelope upgrades. The carbon tax should be a vehicle for funding the transition of low-income households to more affordable, low emission heating systems—a win for Canadians and the environment.”
Wilkinson did brag a bit about recent agreements the federal government had made with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, but only in general terms and mostly - it seemed - to take a bit of a swipe at Smith.
“Their premiers had the courage to say - let’s figure out a way to get it done.”
It left me feeling a bit cynical about how politicians choose to play out their actions in front of the media, most of whom only showed up to the conference for the lunch hour fireworks. I think it’ll be no surprise to the readers of this newsletter that there is a performance for the media that differs from what is actually happening in the room.
Quietly working away
The afternoon sessions continued with discussions about “the future of energy in changing markets,” and the largest number of people on a panel that day discussed “the role of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) on Canada's path to net-zero.”
At the end of the day, the news cycle may have revolved around Smith and Wilkinson, but I’d like to leave you on an optimistic note.
There are many people working to solve the problems of climate change who do not necessarily get the attention they deserve. I attended the full-day event and heard many of them speak. Including the Indigenous leader I’ve already mentioned, whose words resonated in the room but have been lost in the media coverage.
Listen to the voices beyond the media headlines. Listen to those who are wisely inspiring and quietly working away. That is where the solutions emerge.
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An excellent post (as always), Jody!