A melting Arctic is opening up Canadian waters and coastlines to the world. Canada needs a vision for how it will handle this new activity and build out the necessary infrastructure in previously inaccessible locations.
Jackie Dawson explains what a Canadian vision for the Arctic might include, and what makes crafting policy for Canada’s North such a unique challenge.
The University of Ottawa’s Positive Energy program released a new report suggesting that there is more bipartisan and expert consensus on climate policy in Alberta than commonly believed. This report is the first of four upcoming case studies that focus on initiatives to reduce polarization over energy and climate issues in Canada.
The Arctic is warming at twice the global average. In the Canadian Arctic, it's three times the global average.
Jackie Dawson explains the scale of this transformation, and what a melting Arctic means for the future of trade, geopolitics, and Northern communities.
ISSP cancels upcoming events in March and April
In response to the spread of COVID-19, the ISSP has cancelled all public events in March and April. This includes our March and April Food for Thought luncheons, our March 30 joint panel with the Royal Canadian Institute for Science and the annual Bromley Memorial Lecture and student event with George Washington University. Where possible, we will reschedule events to the fall.
Climate change is the ultimate disruptor. On timescales that matter for people alive today, it’s a question of slowing climate change down rather than “solving” or “fixing” it. Geoengineering might be our most drastic option.
Jason Blackstock explains the potential scientific and geopolitical implications of geoengineering, and explores future scenarios that will influence the public perception of the technology.
Nations constantly make decisions about national security in the face of uncertainty or incomplete information. The outcomes of these decisions are often unpredictable, and success is often invisible.
Mark Salter explains how the national security apparatus is built to withstand disruption and why Canadians’ sense of what constitutes a national security threat is a reflection of our culture and values.
On our latest epiusode, divided into two parts, Ian T. D. Thomson talks with Positive Energy Faculty Members Professor Stephen Bird of Clarkson University and Professor Erick Lachapelle of the Université de Montréal. Their latest survey report, co-authored with Dr. Monica Gattinger, examines the nature of public opinion across a range of energy contexts in Canada.
This includes the distinction between polarized and fragmented opinion on several key energy policies, including carbon pricing and the energy transition. The survey assesses attitudes towards energy across several demographic groupings, including political affiliation, region and age.
