When we talk about energy in Canada, we immediately think of oil and gas and pipelines like the Trans Mountain project. We think of Alberta and its dirty oilsands and we think of carbon emissions. But we’re missing a major part of the Canadian energy picture. We’re missing the clean-energy sector which is booming. The following is part of a Media Release issued by Clean Energy Canada.
Clean Energy Booming
A significant part of Canada’s energy sector has been booming in recent years—but has anybody noticed?
Canada’s clean energy sector employed 298,000 Canadians as of 2017. What’s more, it’s growing in value by 4.8% every year—a third faster than Canada’s economy as a whole (3.6%).
But while political fights over oil pipelines dominate headlines, the clean energy sector is seldom discussed. In short, we’re missing a big piece of Canada’s energy picture.
Clean Energy Canada partnered with Navius Research to produce a unique, thorough and up-to-date report that explores clean energy, delving into investment in the sector and the resulting jobs and contribution to the Canadian economy.
Broadly put, the clean energy sector includes companies and jobs that help cut carbon pollution, whether by creating clean energy, moving it or shaping how—and how much—it’s used for heat, power and transportation. The sector is also diverse, spanning white collar and blue collar jobs across every province.
Indeed, the clean energy sector is already a big part of our economy, and it will be an even bigger part of our future. It’s time we started talking about it.
KEY FACTS
- There were 298,000 jobs in Canada’s clean energy sector in 2017.
- The value of the clean energy sector grew by 4.8% a year between 2010 and 2017. Compare that to the whole of Canada’s economy, which grew by 3.6% annually over that same period.
- The number of jobs grew by 2.2% a year between 2010 and 2017. This is a full 60% faster than the national average reports The Energy Mix.
- Investment in the clean energy sector went up by 70% between 2010 and 2017, mirroring well-above-average rises in its GDP.
- Clean transport was the biggest employer, providing 57% of the jobs in 2017.
- Renewable energy supply is one of the biggest industries, providing 40% of the sector’s GDP contribution.
QUOTES: Merran Smith, Executive Director, Clean Energy Canada
“This report highlights how much more there is to our energy sector than what we typically hear about in the news. When you consider both the clean energy sector’s size and its impressive growth, it’s clear a great story that’s been playing out in our country over the last decade has been going untold.”
“Indeed, the clean energy sector isn’t just about fighting climate change—it’s also about using Canadian innovation to create better and cheaper solutions for everyday life. So, yes, Canada, let’s talk energy, but let’s talk about the whole energy picture. Because it’s not just our future—it’s already a big part of our present.”
Resources:
Report | Missing the Bigger Picture
Technical report | Quantifying Canada’s Clean Energy Economy
Batteries Are Driving The Clean Energy Transition
Where We Are In The Clean Energy Revolution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
On issue though is to assume dinosaurs can read.
Hello Geoff and welcome to Below2°C.
I see that you have a sense of humour – a very handy tool in these troublesome climate times.
Thank you for the feedbac.