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May 11, 2008
Conference Statement
 
 
In Toronto April 22-23 2008 the Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy, McMaster University, convened over 140 people from academia, government, industry and nongovernmental organizations at Energy 2100 deliberating over energy matters and the future of the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence River Region (GLR). Delegates impart a formidable message.
 
 
“In the face of severe negative consequences of climate change we need a new approach to energy production and consumption in order to achieve social security, natural wealth and economic sustainability in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence River Region.”
 
Delegates achieved this conclusion through consideration of the following facts.
   
 
  • Current energy production and consumption practices are detrimental and unsustainable to the wellbeing of the Great Lakes and contribute to regional and global climate change.
     
  • Society and industry are sustained by the Great Lakes natural attributes. Experts project energy shortages and climatic changes in the GLR that would affect quality and quantity of natural resources, water supply, air quality, and human health in the GLR.
     
  • The GLR represents the second largest economy worldwide. It contributes enormously to Canadian and US financial stability, and represents a global asset facing perilous consequences of climate change. This also confers both a particular responsibility and an opportunity to manage this resource sustainably, for the long term.
   
  Delegates highlighted the urgent necessity for immediate reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since climate change is understood to not proceed in a gradual manner, but rather with catastrophic non-linear change. Adaptation strategies that prepare for climate change impacts on the Great Lakes are essential. That the Ontario government is setting up a climate change secretariat is a step in the right direction.
 
Three clear messages were conveyed:
 
 

1. Improve policy and regulation through:

  • Government incentives for energy conservation and efficiency (incent the “goods”)
  • Stricter regulatory standards for GHG emissions by means of Carbon Capture Sequestration, carbon taxes, and/or cap-and-trade through the international supply chain; (tax the “bads”)
  • Energy metrics – agreed upon by a broad cross section of stakeholders – to evaluate integrated supply strategies more effectively.
  • An office or agency to govern energy integration (i.e. collect and verify metrics, audit progress, create tax structures, etc.). This could be established through new or existing government structures.

2. Fund energy research and development by:

  • Invest in innovative and/or promising energy technologies, including improved electrical and thermal storage capacities and in low carbon, more distributed energy sources.
  • Perform a cost analysis of climate change impacts on the built and natural Great Lakes environment to demonstrate the benefits of mitigation and research into innovation for energy production/supply.
3. Elevate societal awareness regarding the relationship between climate change, energy practices, and water quantity and quality in the Great Lakes.
   
  Delegates asserted:
 
We cannot power our way out of climate change, and current green initiatives are inadequate to achieve a sustainable energy future.
 
Energy conservation and efficiency must be an urgent and immediate priority to achieve the provision of low-energy goods and services.
 
   
   
 
Download Media Kit pdf here.
   
Welcome
 
 


We have reached a crossroads and are presented with an opportunity for change. Energy 2100: Making the Lakes Great opens the dialogue on our energy future as we search for energy options that sustain our Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes, which contain 20% of the world’s surface freshwater and are home to a broad variety of natural habitats, are under serious threat. Huge swaths of wetlands have been lost, thousands of miles of rivers are impaired, and miles of shoreline are degraded. Invasive species ply the waters, and climate change places human and ecosystem health in peril.

Under the leadership of the University’s Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy, Energy 2100: Making the Lakes Great marks the first time experts from Canada, the United States and China will gather to confront an emerging public policy challenge. The challenge is to develop energy policy that sustains the Great Lakes ecosystem and the health of people living within the Great Lakes basin. Topics include:

•  Global perspectives on energy security, competitiveness and
   renewable energy sources

•  The impacts of mercury emissions on Great Lakes communities

•  Impact of climate change on Great Lakes water quality and quantity

Thanks for making the Lakes Great!
 
 
 
 
For further information, please contact:
Meeting Management Services Inc.
Telephone: 905-335-7993 or 1-800-625-7925
e-mail: ron@mmsonline.ca