Rifkin: Shift to distributed, clean power 'absolutely crucial'

Emphasis on oil sands called a ‘historic mistake for Canada’

RICHARD BLACKWELL
The Globe and Mail
Last updated Tuesday, Jun. 05 2012, 6:16 PM EDT

A high-profile adviser on renewable energy to the European Union says Canada is making a huge mistake in placing so much emphasis on the oil sands as the key component of the country’s energy policy.

Mr. Rifkin helped design the EU’s long-term sustainability plan, which is in the early stages of being implemented across the continent.

He said the oil industry will never be able to remove itself from a growth-collapse cycle that is created by gyrating oil prices, and so it needs to be phased out. While the industry will have to be kept on “life support” during the transition to renewables, over time new technologies will generate a far superior return on investment.

It is a “curse” to be one-resource economy, Mr. Rifkin said. At the same time, “Canada is [now] the bad guy” because of the negative reputation of the oil sands and its contribution to the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

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