Imagine you have a neighbour who just won't stop talking about the condos that a developer wants to build down the street. Every time you bump into him, he tells you one more time how great the project is going to be for the neighbourhood.
You're less enthusiastic, but he's relentless, so your run-ins with him are getting a little awkward. Even worse, you were actually hoping to enlist him to help you fix up the local park -- but it's hard to get a word in edgewise.
A little irritating from a neighbour. Even more unfortunate for a country.
But it's not far off what's been happening with Canada, the United States, and the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
We all know that our federal government really, really likes the Keystone proposal, and neverseems to miss a chance to plead its case in Washington. Recent media reports revealed that Canada and the United States are now talking about clean energy, with Canada's federal government saying it hopes this kind of "alignment" will help its push for Keystone XL.
But it's a good bet that what the U.S. actually wants to talk to Canada about is -- wait for it -- clean energy. A recent U.S. Department of Commerce study projects $7 trillion in global private sector investment in renewables from 2012 to 2030 -- and identified Canada as the top export market for U.S. renewable energy companies today. (China, Brazil, Chile and Mexico round out the top five.)
President Obama has recently followed up on a scorching June 2013 climate speech with regulations to curb power sector emissions. Across two terms, he's made significant moves to bolster clean energy technologies. Meanwhile, his Secretary of State has made tackling climate change his personal priority for the U.S government's work around the world.
Earlier this month, our Prime Minister had this to say about taking action on climate change: "No country is going to take actions that are going to deliberately destroy jobs and growth in their country."
But what if a country believes its comparative advantage actually lies in solar panels, electric vehicles, or cutting-edge energy efficiency technologies?
If you see things that way, regulations that spur clean energy and boost energy efficiency sound more like a benefit than a cost.
And an international climate deal means more global demand for clean energy -- which means growing markets for companies that deliver clean energy technologies and services.
Of course, the United States is still a very significant consumer and producer of fossil fuels (though it's worth noting that U.S. oil demand is already dropping). But it's increasingly evident that the White House sees a big upside to tackling climate change.
President Obama says he wants to cut greenhouse gas pollution to leave our children a safer and less volatile climate -- but also, he says, because American ingenuity means his country will be among the winners in a global clean energy transition.
The good news is that Canada could have a place in the winners' circle too.
Our 700-plus clean technology companies represent an $11 billion sector today, one that saw nine per cent growth between 2011 and 2012 (and 17 per cent the year before). Analysis from Analytica Advisors, a clean technology consultancy, foresees a thriving clean tech sector -- larger than today's Canadian aerospace industry -- if we make some strategic moves to support its growth.
A 2012 study from global consultants McKinsey concluded that alongside the oil and gas we hear so much about, Canada is already global leader in hydro electricity and a potential leader in solar power and energy efficient buildings.
U.S. leaders have made it clear that they want to hear more about Canada's plans for clean energy. During President Obama's very first visit to Canada, he and Prime Minister Harper launched a cross-border Clean Energy Dialogue that's still going strong. Speaking in Edmonton this month, Hillary Clinton called on Canada and the U.S. to work together to become global leaders in tackling climate change and making the transition away from fossil fuels.
Despite those encouraging signs, our government seems determined to turn the conversation back to Keystone XL -- a proposal that, clearly, President Obama is in no hurry to approve.
In New York this month, Canada's Natural Resources Minister said the key question is "how much the U.S. wants to get in on the economic action." Of course, he was talking about oilsands exports.
The United States has exactly the same question for Canada -- but it's asking about clean energy.
Findings Of Keystone XL Report: Cooking The Books
(01 of17)
Open Image ModalThe 181 million metric tons of (CO2e) from Keystone XL is equivalent to the tailpipe emissions from more than 37.7 million cars. This is more cars than are currently registered on the entire West Coast (California, Washington, and Oregon), plus Florida, Michigan, and New York – combined. (credit:Getty Images)
(02 of17)
Open Image ModalBetween 2015 and 2050, the pipeline alone would result in emissions of 6.34 billion metric tons of CO2e. This amount is greater than the 2011 total annual carbon dioxide emissions of the United States. (credit:AP)
(03 of17)
Open Image ModalIf approved, the Keystone XL pipeline would be responsible for emissions equal to that of 51 coal-fired power plants. (credit:AP)
(04 of17)
Open Image ModalThe International Energy Agency has said that two-thirds of known fossil fuel reserves must remain undeveloped if we are to avoid a 2 degree C temperature rise. (credit:AP)
(05 of17)
Open Image ModalU.S. demand for oil has declined since 2005 by 2.25 million barrels per day or the equivalent of almost three Keystone XL pipelines. (credit:AP)
Syncrude Upgrader and Oil Sands(06 of17)
Open Image ModalThe refining or upgrading of the tarry bitumen which lies under the oil sands consumes far more oil and energy than conventional oil and produces almost twice as much carbon. Each barrel of oil requires 3-5 barrels of fresh water from the neighboring Athabasca River. About 90% of this is returned as toxic tailings into the vast unlined tailings ponds that dot the landscape. Syncrude alone dumps 500,000 tons of toxic tailings into just one of their tailings ponds everyday. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Boreal Forest and Coast Mountains / Atlin Lake, British Columbia | 2001(07 of17)
Open Image ModalThis area, located in the extreme northwest of British Columbia, marks the western boundary of the Boreal region. On the border of the Yukon and Southeast Alaska, the western flank of these mountains descends into Alaska's Tongass Rainforest and British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest. Far from the oil sands, the greatest remaining coastal temperate and marine ecosystem is imminently threatened by the proposal to build a 750-mile pipeline to pump 550,000 barrels per day of oil sands crude to the coast. Once there, it would be shipped through some of the most treacherous waters, virtually assuring an ecological disaster at some point in the future. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Tailings Pond in Winter, Abstract #2 / Alberta Tar Sands | 2010(08 of17)
Open Image ModalEven in the extreme cold of the winter, the toxic tailings ponds do not freeze. On one particularly cold morning, the partially frozen tailings, sand, liquid tailings and oil residue, combined to produce abstractions that reminded me of a Jackson Pollock canvas. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Aspen and Spruce | Northern Alberta | 2001(09 of17)
Open Image ModalPhotographed in late autumn in softly falling snow, a solitary spruce is set against a sea of aspen. The Boreal Forest of northern Canada is perhaps the best and largest example of a largely intact forest ecosystem. Canada's Boreal Forest alone stores an amount of carbon equal to ten times the total annual global emissions from all fossil fuel consumption. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Tar Sands at Night #1 | Alberta Oil Sands | 2010(10 of17)
Open Image ModalTwenty four hours a day the oil sands eats into the most carbon rich forest ecosystem on the planet. Storing almost twice as much carbon per hectare as tropical rainforests, the boreal forest is the planet's greatest terrestrial carbon storehouse. To the industry, these diverse and ecologically significant forests and wetlands are referred to as overburden, the forest to be stripped and the wetlands dredged and replaced by mines and tailings ponds so vast they can be seen from outer space. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Dry Tailings #2 | Alberta Tar Sands | 2010(11 of17)
Open Image ModalIn an effort to deal with the problem of tailings ponds, Suncor is experimenting with dry tailings technology. This has the potential to limit, or eliminate, the need for vast tailings ponds in the future and lessen this aspect of the oil sands' impact. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Tailings Pond Abstract #2 | Alberta Tar Sands / 2010(12 of17)
Open Image ModalSo large are the Alberta Tar Sands tailings ponds that they can be seen from space. It has been estimated by Natural Resources Canada that the industry to date has produced enough toxic waste to fill a canal 32 feet deep by 65 feet wide from Fort McMurray to Edmonton, and on to Ottawa, a distance of over 2,000 miles. In this image, the sky is reflected in the toxic and oily waste of a tailings pond. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Confluence of Carcajou River and Mackenzie River | Mackenzie Valley, NWT | 2005(13 of17)
Open Image ModalThe Caracajou River winds back and forth creating this oxbow of wetlands as it joins the Mackenzie flowing north to the Beaufort Sea. This region, almost entirely pristine, and the third largest watershed basin in the world, will be directly impacted by the proposed Mackenzie Valley National Gas Pipeline to fuel the energy needs of the Alberta Oil Sands mega-project. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Black Cliff | Alberta Oil Sands | 2005(14 of17)
Open Image ModalOil sands pit mining is done in benches or steps. These benches are each approximately 12-15 meters high. Giant shovels dig the oil sand and place it into heavy hauler trucks that range in size from 240 tons to the largest trucks, which have a 400-ton capacity. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Oil Sands Upgrader in Winter| Alberta Oil Sands | 2010(15 of17)
Open Image ModalThe Alberta oil sands are Canada's single largest source of carbon. They produce about as much annually as the nation of Denmark. The refining of the tar-like bitumen requires more water and uses almost twice as much energy as the production of conventional oil. Particularly visible in winter, vast plumes of toxic pollution fill the skies. The oil sands are so large they create their own weather systems. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Boreal Forest and Wetland | Athabasca Delta Northern Alberta | 2010(16 of17)
Open Image ModalLocated just 70 miles downstream from the Alberta oil sands, the Athabasca Delta is the world's largest freshwater delta. It lies at the convergence of North America's four major flyways and is a critical stopover for migrating waterfowl and considered one of the most globally significant wetlands. It is threatened both by the massive water consumption of the tar sands and its toxic tailings ponds. (credit:Garth Lenz)
Tar Pit #3(17 of17)
Open Image ModalThis network of roads reminded me of a claw or tentacles. It represents for me the way in which the tentacles of the tar sands reach out and wreak havoc and destruction. Proposed pipelines to American Midwest, Mackenzie Valley, and through the Great Bear Rainforest will bring new threats to these regions while the pipelines fuel new markets and ensure the proposed five fold expansion of the oil sands. (credit:Garth Lenz)