Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
26,000 new jobs would be created for every 10% contribution by wind
power to Canada's electricity grid.
14
If this is true, wind power generates
2.4 times more jobs per installed megawatt than Canada's current electric-
ity system does.
hird, enhancing wind power capacity represents a more sustainable
energy strategy—one that will attenuate the rate at which fossil fuel and
uranium resources are depleted. It is estimated that Canada's oil sands con-
tain 173 billion barrels of recoverable petroleum. his makes Canada second
only to Saudi Arabia in terms of total oil reserves.
15
However, in addition
to comparatively high levels of CO
2
emissions associated with the extrac-
tion and reinement process, one study estimated that at current rates of oil
production, Canada's abundant reserves will be depleted in 158 years. he
same study concluded that Canada's natural gas reserves, which amounted
to 56.1 trillion ft
3
in 2005, will be depleted in less than a decade at current
rates of consumption and Canada's coal reserves, estimated at 7.3 billion
short tons of recoverable coal will only last 100 years at current rates of
consumption.
16
In short, although Canada is currently seen as a fossil fuel
superpower, at the current rate of extraction and consumption, conditions
of scarcity may be only a couple of generations away.
Fourth, Canadian policymakers are just now coming to grips with the
magnitude of hidden health and environmental costs associated with fossil
fuel combustion. For example, one study by the Ontario Medical Association
estimated that pollution-induced health problems in the late 1990s, stem-
ming predominantly from coal-ired power generation, cost Ontario C$1
billion each year and contributed to over 1900 annual deaths.
17
A more
recent study in 2005 estimated the health-related damages associated with
coal-ired power to be in the neighborhood of C$3 billion each year.
18
Fifth, a program which focuses on twinning wind power capacity with
hydropower represents an economical way to temper a mounting nuclear
waste storage dilemma. Currently, due to the absence of a long-term stor-
age strategy, 2 million 24 kg bundles of highly reactive spent uranium fuel
(enough to it into six ice hockey rinks) has accumulated since the 1950s
and are now stored on an interim basis at six nuclear facilities in Canada.
19
Although Canada clearly has enough land to store nuclear waste at a com-
paratively isolated facility, public opposition, technological challenges, and
cost concerns have to date confounded an acceptable resolution.
20
Last, but certainly not least, without a more robust commitment to decar-
bonizing electricity generation, Canada will be hard pressed to meet its overall
GHG emission reduction targets. he government has announced an inten-
tion to reduce GHG emissions to 20% below 2006 levels by 2020 and 60-70%
below 2006 levels by 2050.
21
However, between 2008 and 2035, electricity
