I continue to be interested in – and actively following – the ways in which groups of people make decisions to advance sustainable energy transitions. These groups of people are at all levels – from the household, through to the local community, to the province, to the country, to the international region, to the world as a whole. I am interested in the ways in which decisions are made (the ways in which governance unfolds) at each level on its own, and then how they connect across levels too. This interest is longstanding, and as I look at my own research record, I see examples from each of these levels across the years – for instance, households in an Ontario town having access to detailed consumption data; the local in a range of Canadian cities; the province in terms of Ontario over a period of 11 years; the country in comparing national policies; the region in Europe and North America; and the world in the actions of transnational corporations.
The issue-area – sustainable energy transitions – connects closely with global climate change (particularly, but not exclusively, climate change mitigation), and I maintain my long-standing policy interests there as well (reaching back to my PhD thesis in 1992!). Recent national debates in Canada around the carbon tax make me think that greater understanding about how we collectively make decisions – as communities at different scales – is needed now perhaps more than ever.
Indeed, the recent report of the Electrification and Energy Transition Panel highlighted the importance of energy literacy – a priority I share – and that further motivates me to make contributions in this area. And while I do not have an active project (or projects) – in the sense of something that could be submitted to a research granting agency, for instance – I would like to see how I might be able to make a contribution to collective understanding (as well as my own understanding) on at least parts of this broad agenda. Recent issues like the Ontario Energy Board December 2023 ruling regarding Enbridge Gas Inc. (and subsequent political and judiciary actions) and pricing policies might be good examples of areas for me to pursue. ... This is another work in progress!
Finally, let me note my collaboration with my colleague, Prof. Bala Venkatesh (Centre for Urban Energy, Toronto Metropolitan University). Bala and I have co-hosted a series of workshops, convening interested stakeholders to move forward the energy transition in Ontario through action-oriented research, community engagement, and policy insights. We are excited to continue this work going forward.
