![\"Professor](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2022\/11\/Runa-Oct-2022.jpeg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>With COP27 now underway in Egypt, the question of how to deliver a just transition is very much on the agenda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Greening a country\u2019s economy in a way that\u2019s fair and inclusive is a complex issue, with challenges that vary from country to country. But one issue many governments need to grapple with is energy poverty \u2013 <\/em>the inability of households to adequately heat, cool, or light their homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In October 2022, the David Suzuki Foundation released Keeping the Lights On<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>a pioneering new report on energy poverty in Canada, an important issue that\u2019s still flying under the radar for Canada\u2019s policymakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This report is co-authored by SEG Co-director Professor Mari Martiskainen and Dr Runa Das, an Associate Professor at Royal Roads University. It sets out a series of actionable, evidence-based policy recommendations that could serve as a starting point for a Canadian energy poverty strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In October 2022, soon after the report\u2019s launch, Das visited the Sussex Energy Group to tell us about her work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Canada is making pretty good progress when it comes decarbonizing its electricity supply. It currently generates 82% of its electricity from non-emitting sources like hydro, nuclear, wind and solar. (In the UK, the percentage is a less impressive 55%). <\/p>\n\n\n\n But unless they are carefully designed, energy transitions can make energy poverty worse. This is because they can make costs go up, at least in the short term. If we electrify our heating and transportation systems, for example, we\u2019re increasing electricity demand. And increased demand can create a spike in energy prices. Moving to a different system can also have big upfront costs, as new technologies like solar panels, heat pumps, and electric cars aren\u2019t cheap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Canada doesn\u2019t yet officially recognise energy poverty in its statistics, or have strategies for reducing it. That\u2019s why this new report is particularly useful. A mix of quantitative and qualitative data, it not only helps flesh out the extent and character of energy poverty in Canada, but also offers clear guidance on how to tackle it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Das and Martiskainen estimate that between 7% and 9% of Canadian households are living in energy poverty, depending on how you measure it. It’s also particularly concentrated in the Atlantic provinces. When factoring in housing costs, the percentage of households in energy poverty can climb as high as 24% in Prince Edward Island, and 23% in Newfoundland and Labrador. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The report also opens a window into what it\u2019s like to live in energy poverty \u2013 with the all the acute stress, discomfort, shame, embarrassment, and even health problems it leads to. Here is what some interviewees said about living in energy poverty: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026I don\u2019t like bringing my friends over here, it\u2019s very rare that I bring anybody over here. I\u2019m really like embarrassed, unless it\u2019s evening and it\u2019s like kinda dark and then they can\u2019t see anything really, and then they\u2019re like, oh it\u2019s so nice in here, we should come more often. It\u2019s like, no. So. But yeah, no, it\u2026 you know, it\u2019d be nice to have like movie night and stuff, but I worry because there is mould and I\u2019ve had, like I\u2019ve had like some lung issues before.<\/p>– Sarah<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n I read it, I just to look at what it\u2019s, like $200, you know, a month. And then more, \u2019cos actually really I don\u2019t pay very close attention. I\u2019m afraid to, you know that\u2019s like, you know when you\u2019re afraid to look at your bills, you\u2019re just, no okay\u2026 paycheque has come in, and okay, this this this, paid, and then go.<\/p>– Matthew<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Winter you always, you know, I\u2019m trying to manage with blankets, you know? When it\u2019s very cold. For sure the most problem comes when we are going to sleep, because it\u2019s very cold, it\u2019s very hard so just trying to wear socks on your feet, get more blankets for covering, and managing in a way, you know?<\/p>– Shruti<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Using the full range of the data they gathered, Das and Martiskainen also generate a series policy steps that governments could take right away to start tackling energy poverty both in the short and long term. These recommendations are clustered around four distinct priorities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019d like to find out more about energy poverty in Canada, or what might be done about it, check out the full report here<\/a>.<\/p>\nFollow Sussex Energy Group With COP27 now underway in Egypt, the question of how to deliver a just transition is very much on the agenda. Greening a country\u2019s economy in a way that\u2019s fair and inclusive is a complex issue, with challenges that vary from…<\/span><\/p>\nA changing energy landscape<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Filling in the blanks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFour things Canada\u2019s policymakers could start doing right away<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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