Recomended Energy Reads
Green Oil: Clean Energy for the 21st Century?
- Details
- Category: Recommended Energy Reads
- Written by Deborah Jaremko
By Satya Das
|
|
Book review by Deborah Jaremko
The oilsands is a great asset that, if managed properly, could not only serve as a bridge to a lower carbon future, but also significantly advance the common good. That is the assertion of author Satya Das in his book, Green Oil: Clean Energy for the 21st Century? The goal of the book is to turn the question mark into an exclamation mark.
“Albertans and Canadians must learn to lead, for one compelling reason: geology has thrust leadership upon us, and this is a responsibility we cannot evade,” writes Das, a former journalist and co-founder of policy consultancy Cambridge Strategies “Beyond an accident of geology, we have a strong moral obligation to lead the sustainable development of the oilsands.”
Das admits that the book is clearly biased towards responsible development and stewardship of the incredible wealth the oilsands industry represents, continuing that, “the option of abandoning the oilsands, leaving them shut in, would be an act of profound negligence…. We can use the enormous wealth the oilsands can confer to build the common good. We can use it to pay for the transition to alternative energy, built on a platform of much greener hydrocarbon production.”
A key message of Green Oil is that Alberta should not be afraid to ask for more in its own pocket from oilsands producers in order to fund its own success, asserting that the province has significant room to manoeuvre in pursuing a higher return for its resource ownership.
“When oil companies tell Alberta politicians they need $75-a-barrel oil to make the oilsands profitable, the government takes the figure at face value. They should be exploring the evidence behind the assertion…. Alberta’s oilsands are the single largest hydrocarbon deposit on the planet. Those threatening to pull out are welcome to pursue opportunities elsewhere. But if they want to be in the oilsands business, well, this is where they exist…. We have a global obligation to show that investing in the potential of one’s people—mass access to education, health, and a clean environment—is a better application of the enormous energy wealth that fuels war elsewhere.”
Writing that Alberta must move to a “green future,” Das offers a sixcomponent leadership strategy for the province. His “practical and achievable” plan of action includes carbon-neutral oilsands development, accelerating the bioeconomy, clean and renewable electricity generation, a high-speed rail network, developing the nano-economy, and the world-leading standard on societal development.
