Opinion Danielle Smith ignores the global shift to renewable ...

So far this summer it’s more than apparent that global warming is hitting home like never before: raging forest fires across the country; floods in Quebec and B.C., a monster tornado tearing through central Alberta on Canada Day.

And yet within a week of that tornado, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was again trying to convince Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a meeting in Calgary that Alberta couldn’t possibly rein in the petroleum industry’s carbon emissions — emissions that fuel climate change — any time soon.

She had already labelled any move by the federal government to substantially decrease those emissions as an attack on the province’s oil and gas industry, a plot to destroy the province’s economy, a move that would leave thousands out of work.

But isn’t it the other way around? Isn’t it more likely that as the rest of the world — especially China, India, The European Union, and The United States — ratchet up the transition to renewable energy, electric vehicles, and greener infrastructure that Alberta could be missing a fantastic opportunity?

That’s the conclusion of a recent report by the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISA) a think tank funded by various government agencies, charities and industry groups in Europe, North America and Asia, including the Canadian and Alberta governments.

The report is entitled Setting the Pace: The economic case for managing the decline of oil and gas production in Canada. The title alone should send shivers up the spine of anyone who believes they can outrun worldwide trends that point to an unstoppable transition to renewable energy that is now moving faster than even most experts predicted.

“Given demand projections, business as usual in the (oil and gas) sector is no longer an option. To minimize the risks to dependent workers, communities, and regions, governments must take an active role in overseeing a predicted phasedown of oil and gas production and diversifying the economy,” the report states.

According to the IISA, demand for oil and gas should peak around 2028.

But the Alberta government has plugged its ears to such pronouncements and continues to insist on protecting the petroleum industry no matter the cost to Albertans and the rest of the country.

Smith (and Jason Kenney before her) seems to think that Alberta can defy the global swing away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy simply by boasting about its “ethical” oil. It brings to mind a deluded blacksmith who believes that better and cheaper horseshoes will somehow overcome people’s fevered attraction to Henry Ford’s gasoline powered Model Ts.

Now we are looking at a future where electric cars will become as sought after as the Model T. I covet an electric car as much as I coveted the iPhone and the iPad when they were first introduced. Who wouldn’t want a net-zero house instead of high utility bills? As long as the lights turn on at the flick of switch won’t people simply demand the cheaper electricity that wind and solar generate? And who doesn’t want to travel by high speed electric train instead of dodging semi-trucks on a crowded highway?

This is the world we could live in if we take seriously the ever-looming threats to our stability brought about by climate change and ratchet down our dependency on fossil fuels while ratcheting up renewables.

Alberta is already leading the country in attracting new investment in solar and wind projects. The Canadian Renewable Energy Association recently reported that Canada saw 1.8 gigawatts of new solar and wind generation capacity added in 2022, with more than 75 per cent landing in Alberta.

So even though the Alberta government spends a lot of effort, time and money cheerleading for fossil fuels, it’s obvious that the transition to renewables is well underway, even here.

Danielle Smith needs to come to grips with that or she will get swept away by the winds of change. Just like the deluded blacksmith.