48 Luis D. Virla et al.
help inform policymakers on necessary actions to address climate change. The
local narratives can be the basis of developing lower-carbon transition pathways
that represent and address the needs and priorities of the Indigenous
communities and complement other pathways defined by policymakers, industry
players, and the public at large.
This chapter presents three lower- carbon transition pathways which are
based on the priorities of policymakers, the community of Fort McKay First
Nation, and a diverse mix of industry, grid operators, and NGOs in Alberta.
Risks associated with these three pathways were elicited considering the
perspectives of various types of stakeholders. These risks could act as barriers for
the materialisation of the lower- carbon pathways, or as negative impacts from
the implementation of them. In addition, the analysis of these risks sets the
grounds for the development of effective policies in the midst of governmental
changes in a Canada looking to meet its commitments in the Paris Agreement.
Reseach process and methods
The approach selected for the development of the narrative consisted of two stages:
pathway development, and elicitation of preference and risks associated with the
pathways. The broader public sentiment with regards to climate action policies and
lower- carbon futures for the Alberta oil sands was collected through media articles.
These included newspapers, blogs, and government, industry and institutional
(NGOs, companies) websites. We also collected information from Statistics Canada
(Canada’s national statistical agency). The three pathways represent three distinct
views originated from policymakers, an Indigenous community (Fort McKay First
Nation), and institutions (including firms, electricity regulators, experts, and NGOs)
with regards to potential solutions for decreasing the environmental impact of the
Alberta oil sands. The pathways were developed from existing policies and studies
that consulted a range of stakeholders.
The first pathway takes the government as the dominant narrator and was
developed based on the Alberta Climate Leadership Plan. The Alberta Climate
Change Advisory Panel was formed to provide insight from a broad group of
stakeholders that include the Indigenous communities, industry, farmers,
researchers, and the general public. Two public open houses were organised with
input from over 1000 participants and an online survey (including questions using
the Likert scale and open- ended questions) with over 25,000 respondents
(Hill + Knowlton strategies, 2015; Leach et al., 2015).
The second pathway focuses on the local needs and interests of the Fort McKay
community. The details for the pathway were inspired by a project commissioned
by the Fort McKay Sustainability Office (Cumulative Effects Project) and carried
out by the ALCES and Integral Ecology Group (ALCES and Integral Ecology
Group, 2013). The results of the study explored the cumulative effects of oil sands
development and proposed a paced approach to industrial development in their
traditional territory. The report emphasised the community’s interest in protecting
the ecological integrity of an area of land while allowing its responsible industrial
development and economic benefits for the society. This study identified specific
help inform policymakers on necessary actions to address climate change. The
local narratives can be the basis of developing lower-carbon transition pathways
that represent and address the needs and priorities of the Indigenous
communities and complement other pathways defined by policymakers, industry
players, and the public at large.
This chapter presents three lower- carbon transition pathways which are
based on the priorities of policymakers, the community of Fort McKay First
Nation, and a diverse mix of industry, grid operators, and NGOs in Alberta.
Risks associated with these three pathways were elicited considering the
perspectives of various types of stakeholders. These risks could act as barriers for
the materialisation of the lower- carbon pathways, or as negative impacts from
the implementation of them. In addition, the analysis of these risks sets the
grounds for the development of effective policies in the midst of governmental
changes in a Canada looking to meet its commitments in the Paris Agreement.
Reseach process and methods
The approach selected for the development of the narrative consisted of two stages:
pathway development, and elicitation of preference and risks associated with the
pathways. The broader public sentiment with regards to climate action policies and
lower- carbon futures for the Alberta oil sands was collected through media articles.
These included newspapers, blogs, and government, industry and institutional
(NGOs, companies) websites. We also collected information from Statistics Canada
(Canada’s national statistical agency). The three pathways represent three distinct
views originated from policymakers, an Indigenous community (Fort McKay First
Nation), and institutions (including firms, electricity regulators, experts, and NGOs)
with regards to potential solutions for decreasing the environmental impact of the
Alberta oil sands. The pathways were developed from existing policies and studies
that consulted a range of stakeholders.
The first pathway takes the government as the dominant narrator and was
developed based on the Alberta Climate Leadership Plan. The Alberta Climate
Change Advisory Panel was formed to provide insight from a broad group of
stakeholders that include the Indigenous communities, industry, farmers,
researchers, and the general public. Two public open houses were organised with
input from over 1000 participants and an online survey (including questions using
the Likert scale and open- ended questions) with over 25,000 respondents
(Hill + Knowlton strategies, 2015; Leach et al., 2015).
The second pathway focuses on the local needs and interests of the Fort McKay
community. The details for the pathway were inspired by a project commissioned
by the Fort McKay Sustainability Office (Cumulative Effects Project) and carried
out by the ALCES and Integral Ecology Group (ALCES and Integral Ecology
Group, 2013). The results of the study explored the cumulative effects of oil sands
development and proposed a paced approach to industrial development in their
traditional territory. The report emphasised the community’s interest in protecting
the ecological integrity of an area of land while allowing its responsible industrial
development and economic benefits for the society. This study identified specific