Leading Climate Change and Energy Experts Map Out Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan For Canada

    Panelists at Ivey School of Business urge government action on energy
    demand management and commercialization of GHG reduction technologies

    LONDON, ON, Feb. 9 /CNW/ - An assembly of leading Canadian experts on
sustainable development, energy and global warming is calling for aggressive
government action on climate change.
    Panelists in the Developing Sustainable Energy Policy Workshop produced a
series of recommendations to get Canada on the fast track to greenhouse gas
(GHG) reductions. The recommendations include tax measures to spur technology
commercialization and public education initiatives on conservation and demand
management. The policy options are outlined in a report unveiled today by the
Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management, part of the Richard Ivey
School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
    "The time for cautious, modest steps is over," said workshop chair Dianne
Cunningham, Director of the Lawrence Centre. "Mounting evidence of rapid
global warming signals the need for Canada to embark on a visionary and bold
path marked by clear, understandable and measurable milestones."
    The workshop, convened in October by the Lawrence Centre and funded by
the federal and Ontario governments, included over 140 business executives,
scientists, academics, government policymakers, consultants, energy experts,
students and non-governmental organization leaders.
    "Significant GHG reductions can be achieved with technologies that are
already available in Canada," said Michael Brown, a workshop panelist and
Executive Director and Chairman of Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital. "With the
right fiscal measures, we can implement those technologies quickly and
demonstrate to the world not only that greenhouse gas reductions are
achievable, but also show them how to do it using Canadian expertise."
    The workshop's recommendations provide a policy framework for governments
at all levels to achieve a "low carbon" economy in Canada. The proposals
include:

    -   Financial market incentives - to develop and commercialize the
        technologies that will transform Canada's fossil fuel-based economy
        into a low-carbon economy, and to create new export, employment and
        economic growth opportunities.

    -   Education initiatives - to increase public awareness on climate
        change with the goal of stimulating demand for cleaner energy
        alternatives, engaging consumer participation in GHG reductions and
        creating a culture of conservation among all Canadians.

    -   Concerted action by business, government and academia - to build an
        integrated, long-term approach to GHG reductions that leverages the
        full range of policy options and involves all the key players.

    -   Ongoing public policy development - to continue building on GHG
        reduction initiatives and leverage new technologies and approaches as
        they become available.

    "The workshop recommendations lay out a pathway that will help Canada
meet its environmental and economic objectives at the same time," said Dr.
Gordon McBean, Research Chair, Institute of Catastrophic Loss Reduction, and
Professor of Geography at University of Western Ontario. "They provide a
business approach to bringing about large-scale emission reductions in the
decades to come."
    The workshop, part of the Building Paths to A Low Carbon Society
initiative, was the second in a series, following a 2005 meeting at the Centre
for Global Studies, the University of Victoria in B.C. It provided a neutral
forum where a wide range of experts could share their knowledge and
perspectives on the GHG-related policy options and challenges facing Canada.
    The report was prepared on behalf of the Government of Canada and
Government of Ontario through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada (SSHRC), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Ontario Ministry
of Energy, and the Ontario Centres of Excellence-Centre for Energy, which
together provided financial support for the workshop.
    "The Lawrence National Centre is to be commended for assembling such an
impressive array of experts and combining their input into a comprehensive
call to action," said the Honourable Dwight Duncan, Ontario's Minister of
Energy. In the coming weeks, the report will be presented directly to Minister
Duncan as well the Honourable Gary Lunn, federal Minister of Natural
Resources.

    Perspective Statements and Full Report

    Background information, participant perspective statements and related
documents can be accessed at www.ivey.uwo.ca/lawrencecentre/energy. A full
copy of the report can be obtained through the contacts listed below.

    About the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management

    The Lawrence National Centre, part of the Richard Ivey School of Business
at the University of Western Ontario, is committed to the development of sound
public policy by providing a national forum for business, academia, and
government to think globally, act strategically, and contribute to the
societies in which they operate. The Centre, located on the University of
Western Ontario campus in London, Ont., creates dynamic networks that bridge
business, academia and government. For more information on the Lawrence
Centre, please visit www.ivey.uwo.ca/lawrencecentre.

    About the Richard Ivey School of Business

    The Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario
(www.ivey.uwo.ca) offers full-time undergraduate (HBA) and graduate degree
programs (MBA, PhD), and Executive MBA programs in addition to non-degree
programs in Entrepreneurship and Executive Development. Ivey has campuses in
London (Ontario), Toronto, and Hong Kong, where it was the first North
American business school to establish a campus in Asia.

For further information: Lawrence National Centre, Richard Ivey School
of Business, Gillian Johnson, Tel: (519) 850-2987, Email:
LowCarbonWorkshop@ivey.uwo.ca; Marisa Kanas, Richard Ivey School of Business,
Tel : (519) 850-2536, Email : mkanas@ivey.ca; Media inquiries: Don Hogarth,
Tel: (416) 565-8920, Email: don@hogarthpr.com