green economy Archives

Sustainability May 19, 2017

Where are the women in Canadian green tech?

The environmental sector is often thought of as progressive and forward-thinking, but when it comes to gender diversity in low-carbon economies, is it truly equal?

At the Ontario Climate Symposium hosted on Friday May 12, York University environmental studies professor Christina Hoicka facilitated a panel that discussed gender diversity and how women experts are leading the way on energy research. Part of Hoicka’s research focuses on discovering which women academics are influencing the field of energy research, and whether or not enough is being done to encourage women to be a part of the renewable energy (RE) industry.

Women make up less than 20 per cent of the renewable energy sector workforce. Jobs are opening up in this sector thanks to the the growing popularity in green technologies, which means it’s the perfect opportunity to close the gender gap in STEM fields.

Canada Research Chair in global women’s issues at Western University, Dr. Bipasha Baruah, was one of the panelists and explained that because there are so few women leaders in clean technology, she feels she actually gets more attention in her role. “Sometimes I feel hyper-visible. Part of that is that you can check so many boxes with me. Even if you are acknowledged, you can still be tokenized,” Baruah says.

Women are clearly under-represented in the green sector in Canada, representing only 20 per cent of jobs, but 50 per cent of university graduates. Most women within the industry are found in sales, administrative roles, and technology positions. For women that are in STEM jobs, the wage gap is smaller, with women earning 14 per cent less than men compared to 21 per cent in other fields. But, they are still massively underrepresented. According to Baruah, women are often discouraged from entering engineering and technology fields because of the misperceptions of the ‘dirty work’ involved and that they typically feel inadequate in the technological aspects of certain occupations.

Baruah’s research did emphasize that Canadian women are increasingly becoming leading entrepreneurs. She interviewed Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE) CEO Rebecca Black, who pointed out that of the membership base of 1000 women in the province of Ontario, at least 20 per cent were entrepreneurs in RE. Women are often more community-based leaders and renewables thrive off a grassroots cooperative business model.

Julie MacArthur, Professor at University of Auckland, reinforced this idea through her study of the evolving socio-technical community-based approach in the renewables sector. In the wake of moving away from large fossil fuel corporations, several renewable community-based organizations have popped up that focus on alternative energy sources. Many of these grassroots organizations are spearheaded by women, who are essential to this movement of cooperation and community-based growth. MacArthur explains that ‘energy democracy’ is growing and there is a changing socio-political focus that is happening right now, as the environment grows as a central concern in the Canadian economy. Obviously, women have a key role to play in this change.

Including women in the move from a brown to green economy will only make RE more diverse and versatile. Being able to provide even more data about women in clean technology helps society to understand where we stand in regards to gender diversity and how we can better accommodate women looking to enter these fields. It is important to provide a discursive research space and more panels to educate women invested in an environmental career, and Women’s Post hopes to learn more as amazing women researchers grow and learn in green technology.

Sustainability May 11, 2017

Canada needs to invest in green bonds to support infrastructure goals

With the rising costs of climate change and environmental degradation, governments are vying for solutions by investing in green infrastructure.

One of the most effective ways to invest in these types of infrastructure and energy projects is through green bonds — and it’s high time Canada gets the ball rolling. Green bonds are fixed-income securities that are created to fund projects that have environmental and climate benefits.When a project needs to be funded, it is possible to reach out to investors or creditors to support a project through bonds as opposed to obtaining a loan from the bank. Typically, federal governments will issue green bonds from public entities and will also provide targeted tax incentives. The involvement of the government in green bonds lowers risk and improves return and makes the investment more desirable. This pushes large stock-holders to invest in green projects, and helps further build a green economy.

Canada has seen a total of $4.5 billion in total green bonds issued so far, with Ontario leading in investments in 2014 and 2017 consecutively. The Quebec government has also issued a bond, but the federal government has yet to release green bonds according to a report by RBC Capital Markets. The federal government and private market issuers have the capacity to support $56.3 billion worth of green bonds for green infrastructure in public transit, renewable energy, and electric vehicles. The support of the federal government is needed to make green bonds competitive in Canada.

Across the world, green bonds are growing as a viable way to build green infrastructure. In London, England, the Climate Bonds Initiative contributes $694 billion that are being used to support low-carbon infrastructure. China has invested $36 billion in green bonds. This type of investment makes it easier to gain government approval on green projects rather than regular development initiatives. Even in India, developers are turning to the rising international trend in green bonds to support building projects as their weakened banks shy away from the non-green alternatives.

Canada has the opportunity to become a global leader by moving away from a purely resource-driven economy. Alongside the $180 billion over 12 years the federal government has committed to spend on infrastructure, green bonds could help support that lofty goal. If the federal government invested heavily in green bonds for environmental infrastructure projects, it could also give the currently depressed resource economies in Western Canada a much needed push towards a green economy.

It shouldn’t only be the responsibility of the provinces to invest in green bonds. The green economy is the way of the future, and green bonds are yet another way to make that a reality. It is time for Canada to take a stand on the international stage and become an environmental leader worldwide.

News October 5, 2016

Carbon tax angers provinces, but Prime Minister stands strong

Canada’s provinces are at an odds with the federal government after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a unilateral mandatory carbon tax that is set to be launched in 2018.

Anger has swept across the country as Trudeau takes decisive steps to enact a climate change plan that will meet Paris Conference targets to cut carbon emissions 30 per cent of levels from 2005. At the federal-provincial climate talks, the Prime Minister announced that Ottawa will impose a levy of a minimum of $10 per tonne of carbon emissions by 2018. That amount will go up $10 annually until 2022, where it will reach its maximum at $50 per tonne. Trudeau has also granted the provincial governments the opportunity to adopt their own cap and trade or carbon tax programs, as long as it meets the required targets. If the provinces don’t meet those standards, then the government will impose the minimum $10 carbon tax themselves.

But, not everyone is thrilled with the carbon tax. The provinces are irate, especially Saskatchewan and Alberta. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley reported she would only meet 2022 targets of $50 per tonne if the federal government allows the Kinder Morgan pipeline to be built. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has claimed the decision is a ‘betrayal’ on the part of the federal government to work openly with the provinces. Many westerners have claimed that Trudeau’s unilateral policy directly attacks Western Canada and is reminiscent of his late father, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s National Energy Plan.

On the other hand, the plan is being widely criticized by environmentalists for not being strict enough. Many groups feel that $50 a tonne of carbon would not be able to meet the 2030 Paris Conference targets. I guess there is something to be said of finding the middle ground — if no one is happy, it’s probably a good policy.

Trudeau will convene a first minister’s meeting on Dec. 8 to define the details of the climate plan, which will include the carbon tax.

Climate change is a reality and invoking mandatory laws around it is a step in the right direction. The provinces need to be pushed to implement carbon tax incentives and it is necessary for the federal government to make that decision firmly. Hopefully the other changes that will be discussed in the first minister’s meeting will provide even more climate change incentives and Canada can become a leader in ‘green’ change on the international stage.

If only the provinces would jump on board — an environmentally focused and united country could become a reality.