By David Dodge, GreenEnergyFutures.ca
“You’re an idiot, no you’re an idiot.” That’s how singer-songwriter Dave Matthews summed up the deeply polarized public discourse around the Iraq war in 2007.
That summary is even more prophetic in 2021 as public discourse has descended into ideological populist rhetoric. This is especially true of the issues of energy transition and climate change.
Dagmar Knutson is a chartered accountant and CFO with an oilfield supply firm in Red Deer, Alberta and she is weary of political rhetoric. She says this polarization is preventing collaborative discussions about how to navigate energy transition, tackle climate change and build a sustainable future economy.
“My observation is, is that I think we, as a society have been polarized and our conversation around this difficult topic hasn’t really allowed us to come to full-on solutions and create a lot of action,” she says.
This came into focus for Knutson when her son came home from school one day and said “Mom, we’re the worst in the world,” referring to Alberta’s oil industry and greenhouse gas emissions.
Knutson asked her son if he was aware that the oil industry has reduced its emissions and was building the carbon trunkline to store carbon.
Her son replied “no mum, but our teachers say our textbooks are at least five years out of date.”
So Knutson asked her son’s teachers if they would like to learn more. “I sent out an email to his middle school and the principals and said, who wants emails, videos on what I know about?”
Before long Knutson thought why not go big and organize a conference for teachers and students that brings experts from across the spectrum together in the spirit of collaboration with a goal of getting to climate solutions.
Go big or go home
In the spirit of “go big or go home,” Knutson started the Ten Peaks Innovation Alliance. She sought out and hired one of Alberta’s best-known environmental educators, Gareth Thompson the former executive director of the Alberta Council for Environmental Education.
And just a few short years later it’s game-on for a major virtual student-teacher conference that is happening on October 20, 2021.
“The conference is for students and teachers, and to bring them together in front of leading experts in industry and academia and other organizations.
The goal? To change the conversation, discuss innovation and challenges and inspire “Our future leaders to be the driving force behind the transition of Alberta’s energy system to a new energy mix – one with low carbon, low emission oil and gas, renewables and other diverse clean energy sources – as they balance the imperatives of energy, environment, and climate.”
Top shelf speakers from industry and beyond
“We have five keynote speakers from industry. The first is Susannah Pierce from Shell,” says Knutson. Pierce’s title leaves little doubt that we are in the midst of a global energy transition she’s the Canada “Country Chair and General Manager Renewables and Energy Solutions” for Shell.
Other keynote speakers include Chelsea Donelon a renewables expert with TransAlta, and Adrita Haque an engineer representing the Calgary Climate Hub. And finally “We have Peter Tertzakian from Energyphile and of course we have you David [GreenEnergyFutures.ca], which we are very excited to hear from,” says Knutson.
Tertzakian is managing director at ARC Financial, an energy expert, founder of the Energyphile story-telling project, and cohost of the ARC Energy Podcast.
Chelsea Donelon worked on the Alberta Renewable Energy program that secured record-breaking low prices for renewable energy and then later on phasing out Alberta’s coal generation. She was co-chair of Edmonton’s Energy Transition Advisory Committee. She advised the CEO of TransAlta on policy and now is working on carbon policy and technology for TransAlta the soon-to-be former coal generator.
Adrita Haque is a project engineer at Equinox Engineering Ltd. who’s involved with Engineers Without Borders Canada and the Calgary Climate Hub.
The speakers will each provide short presentations and then head off to small group discussions with students, with conversations led by the students.
Ten Peaks has organized five concurrent sessions: Carbon and Climate (carbon storage), Alternative Energy, Our Environment, and finally Inspiring Innovation.
The sessions are led by experts from NAIT, SAIT, University of Calgary, Enoch Cree Nation, GreenLearning.ca and EcoTrust, and more.
Topics will include renewable energy in Alberta, oil and gas and the journey to net-zero, conservation of energy and wildlife, economic and environmental implications of climate change, jobs and careers in energy transition, and First Nations reconciliation and inclusion.
Beyond rhetoric and polarization to “Both And”
Ten Peaks is new to the environmental education game in Alberta following on the heels of Inside Education, GreenLeaning.ca, and the Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE), but Knutson and her team seem ready to enter the space with a bang.
“What’s different about our conference is that we want to inspire, engage and educate high school students,” says Knutson emphasizing her mission to transcend the polarization, rhetoric and get on with collaboration, and building a sustainable, low carbon future.
“Well, I think it starts with our youth. I think the entire conversation has to be an “and,” and not an “or.”
She’s fed up with those that portray the issue black and white. It’s not about choosing between the oil industry or moving 100% to renewable energy.
She believes we need to work with low carbon oil and gas, geothermal, solar, wind, hydrogen, and more.
“Those are all “ands” and together we will move forward and together the future will be clear.”
So if you are a teacher or high school student you can hop on the energy transition bus to the future and register for the conference at https://www.10peaks.ca/conferences.