Presented by Brad Hayes, Phd, PGeol, Outreach Director the Canadian Society of Unconventional Resources.
Modern humanity needs energy to survive. Energy networks that support us today are complex, having been built up over decades, and they are foundational to key global challenges such as sustainable development, energy poverty, and climate change. In the coming decades, humanity will transition to more diverse energy sources to support prosperity and address these challenges.
How do we move forward in the Energy Transition? We will examine two competing “Realities” used by most people to support their viewpoints. Reality 1 is measured change largely governed by market forces, while Reality 2 is urgent change driven by climate crisis concerns. Many people in developed countries identify strongly with one of these Realities, but it’s important to remember that these are global issues, and motivations for change are very different in different parts of the world.
And it’s equally important to realize that aspirations or goals for change need to be supported by pathways to change, showing how we can conceptualize, test, plan, finance, and build new energy sources.
Whatever our viewpoint, the pace of Energy Transition will be driven by our ability to create diverse alternative energy sources that are reliable and affordable. We’ll have a look at some of these alternatives, highlighting both limitations and the exciting potential of new ideas.
Energy supply controls humanity’s future, and needs to be addressed with clear, critical, balanced thinking and action.