We obviously need to stop using fossil fuels in order to protect our environment. While we may not be able to turn the tap off overnight, we can stop the growth of the tar sands by ending all exploration of the area, have a moratorium on development, and let existing leases expire if unexploited.
We can then shift all the subsidies we are currently providing to tar sands industries towards investments in renewable energy. There are more and more new jobs in clean energy as it’s one of Canada’s fastest-growing industries.
We need to ensure that any transition to renewable energy includes workers in the oil and gas industries. Proper training should exist for these workers, if they want it, to prepare them for new careers in the clean energy sector.
