Page 13 - Suncor 360 - October 2014

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OCTOBER 2014
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deal with climate change But Pollution Probe’s CEO, Bob Oliver,

by transitioning away from believes energy policy is fundamental to
a carbon-intensive system.
addressing critical environmental issues.

And the key to getting energy policy right
We contribute to is understanding the big picture.

understanding of the
energy system in the “Various groups and governments across

educational system, the country have different ideas about how
through Green Learning Canada should develop its energy

Canada and the Alberta resources, in what energy technologies we
Council for Environmental should invest and what kind of energy

Education. We support
future we wish to create for ourselves,”
organizations that encourage conversation Bob says. “Given the fact that society still

and debate by thought leaders, policy needs more energy rather than less, we
makers and the public around the future of need a whole-systems perspective to

energy in North America.
consider the implications of change.”

We are also engaging in the tough work of An evolving energy system needs
figuring out what the energy system of innovation to bring about change, and

tomorrow looks like by investing in Suncor has a track record as a pioneer. By
initiatives such as the Energy Futures Lab. investing capital, developing expertise and

This will involve a range of people in taking risks, we were able to develop the
understanding and creating together the oil sands to the point that today it’s a big

energy system we need today and part of the economy. We’re applying that
tomorrow. This includes what tradeoffs we same approach to renewable energy.

are all willing to make in the process.
“We’ve already elected to use energy,” says
Energy policies affect
Bob. “So as end users of energy, we need
energy systems
to understand and make more informed

energy choices. We have to be part of the
Governments are often the ones making decisions Canada and the world make
the decisions, but projects requiring
about how to develop energy.”
regulatory approval involve regular citizens,
with their inevitably conflicting opinions.
What are the right choices? We don’t

know. But we do know that thinking about
You might expect Pollution Probe to be the future of energy and devising the

among the loudest voices saying ‘no,’ since resilient energy system of the future means
many of the sustainability and thinking about the big picture, and where

environmental issues it addresses are
we fit in that picture.
associated with how consumers

use energy.

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To download Pollution
Probe’s Energy Primer, visit pollutionprobe.org >
publications >
Energy Literacy Initiative >
Primer on Energy Systems.