The Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ) recently revealed figures on the spectacular jump in sales of light trucks, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in Quebec in 2020. There were 140,000 new purchases recorded, closing an increase of some 170% since 2010.
This data reminds us that Quebecers, despite their completely carbon-free electricity, do not do much better than other citizens of rich countries in terms of energy consumption.
We can often claim to be better than others in this area, thanks to our hydroelectricity, but the reality is different: we are large consumers of energy, moreover inclined to waste.
The numbers speak for themselves. We consume more energy per capita than the United States, and four times more than the world average, according to the latest edition of the State of Energy in Quebec.
Some of our political elites in Quebec have already made a big deal out of Alberta’s “dirty oil”. However, this supposedly virtuous Quebec imports its crude oil from Western Canada for more than 45% of its consumption.
Let us recall historical facts. We wisely bet on hydroelectricity, because our rivers were the main natural resource that we could harness on our territory.
Albertans did the same, either to develop their local resource, but in their case, hydrocarbons. This wealth has generated significant equalization transfers to Canada, from which Quebeckers have benefited greatly.
But with the climate crisis, Albertans have taken the wrong side of history. This should encourage us to remain modest, to appreciate the fact that geography has greatly favored us.
Energy efficiency and international action
The reasonable thing to do in this context would be to put our house in order. What we consume in terms of energy, can we do it more efficiently?
Certainly. This means devoting serious efforts to energy efficiency and electrification: transport, of course, but also industries, buildings, waste, agriculture, and adoption of more low-carbon behavior. It is always a difficult task to undertake, since we are talking about a change in values at the citizen level.
Still according to the state of energy in Quebec, the possible energy savings are significant, with an annual potential of more than 20% in electricity.
Finally, Quebec, a rich state in the global context, could do more in terms of international contribution to the climate emergency.
Only just over 45% of Africans south of the Sahara have access to electricity, many still cooking with biomass or polluting sources, such as diesel.
And the continent is in strong demographic expansion (more than one billion inhabitants currently to approximately three billion by 2100), with a demand for energy which should therefore explode.
Africa is home to nearly 20% of the world’s population, but is responsible for less than 5% of greenhouse gas emissions. Several African leaders raised their voices at COP26: their countries simply do not have the financial resources to bear the costs of the energy transition. They will not follow the rich countries in this vast effort to decarbonise, and will continue to consume a lot of coal and oil if, at the same time, they are not helped out of their energy poverty.
Energy transition means increased use of electricity from clean sources. However, Quebec has world-class expertise in this field.
There is indeed the International Climate Cooperation Program (PCCI), which has contributed, since 2017, to the tune of nearly thirty million dollars to low-carbon economy projects, carried out mainly by NGOs and the academia.
This electricity expertise should be mobilized more, in particular by including industry, for impact interventions targeted on access and the transition to sustainable electricity. The Africans are asking for it, and this continent is, moreover, one of the priorities of our international action.
The next Climate Conference (COP27) will take place in Egypt in November 2022, and it will focus on Africa. It would be a good time for us to step up our ambitions, local and international, in terms of energy consumption and pro-climate actions.