Topic: Rotman Debate: Is Carbon Capture a Responsible Solution to Climate Change?

Co-presented with: Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship

Presented as part of the Dobson Business & Climate Project

Synopsis:

Last year witnessed record-high temperatures in Canada and globally, underscoring the undeniable impact of climate change. The surge in carbon dioxide emissions is pushing the planet to a critical juncture, prompting a crucial question: how can we reverse course and reduce carbon emissions?

Enter carbon capture technology, a method involving the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and power generation, which has gained prominence in the Canadian context. In 2023, the Canadian government took a significant step in boosting this technology by announcing investment tax credits for carbon capture technologies, as part of its stated commitment to addressing climate change.

But is this embrace of carbon capture a truly responsible solution to climate change? Advocates for carbon capture assert that embracing this technology offers a dual benefit by addressing emissions while sustaining vital industries. However, skeptics raise concerns about relying on this technology, questioning the extent to which government should embrace it and expressing fears that it might defer a more immediate transition to renewable energy sources.

Join us for this critical debate, which will illuminate the role of carbon capture in Canada's climate action plan, critically evaluating it in the context of Canada’s pursuit of a sustainable and low-carbon future.

IN SUPPORT:

Martha Hall Findlay, BA (International Relations), LLB, ICD.D, Director, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary; James S. and Barbara A. Palmer Chair in Public Policy, University of Calgary

Phil De Luna, Chief Carbon Scientist and Head of Engineering, Deep Sky

AGAINST:

Jessica F. Green, Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto

Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist, Greenpeace Canada

MODERATOR:

Susan Ormiston, Senior Correspondent, CBC

About our Speakers:

Prior to joining the School of Public Policy, Martha Hall Findlay was Chief Sustainability and Chief Climate Officer for Suncor Energy, Canada’s largest integrated energy company. She led Suncor’s ESG efforts, including indigenous and other community, public and government relations. She was instrumental in the development of the multi-company Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero by 2050 initiative. Prior to Suncor Martha was the President and CEO of the Canada West Foundation. She has written dozens of essays, articles and op eds for national publications and has frequently appeared as a thought leader in national print and broadcast media. She has many years of experience as a corporate lawyer, international trade expert and senior business executive in Canada and in Europe. She was named a Canadian Climate Champion in 2021; one of Canada’s Clean50 for 2022; a top global female oil and gas executive and one of the top 275 global women influencers. She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023. As a twice-elected Member of Parliament, she served in the Official Opposition shadow cabinet for International Trade; Finance; Transport, Infrastructure and Communities; and Public Works and Government and served on the House of Commons committees for all of those portfolios.

Phil De Luna is Chief Carbon Scientist and Head of Engineering at Deep Sky, a carbon removals developer building large scale infrastructure to reverse climate change. Prior to Deep Sky, Phil led carbontech at McKinsey & Company, was the youngest-ever Director at the National Research Council of Canada, and was a finalist in the Carbon XPRIZE. He is a Governor General Gold Medal winning scientist, a Member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada, an adjunct Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Toronto, and a Forbes Top 30 Under 30.

Jessica F. Green is Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, and is cross-appointed at the School of Environment. She has previously held positions at Case Western University (in Cleveland, OH) and New York University (in NYC). Green’s research occurs at the intersection of political science, public policy and environmental studies. She focuses on the politics of decarbonization, transnational private regulation, the interactions between public and private regulation. Her book, Rethinking Private Authority: Agents and Entrepreneurs in Global Environmental Governance, was published by Princeton University Press (2014), and received best book awards from the International Studies Association, the American Political Science Association, and the International Political Science Association. In 2017, she received the Emerging Young Scholar Award from APSA’s Science Technology and Environmental Policy Section. In 2023, she was elected to the College of New Scholars of the Royal Society of Canada.

Keith Stewart is the senior energy strategist for Greenpeace Canada. He has over 25 years of experience as a climate policy analyst and advocate with non-profit groups, including WWF-Canada, the Toronto Environmental Alliance and Greenpeace. He has a Ph.D. in political science from York University and teaches a course on energy policy and the environment at the University of Toronto.

Moderator: Susan Ormiston is CBC News’ first international climate correspondent, tackling high-profile stories and breaking news on climate change around the world. As a long-time CBC senior correspondent for TV, radio and online, Ormiston has reported from 30 countries and conflict zones including Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Russia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. She's covered natural and industrial disasters in Haiti, Bangladesh and the Philippines. She also reported extensively on Nelson Mandela, covering his election as President of South Africa in 1994, and his death nearly 20 years later. As CBC News’ London correspondent, she covered the European debt crisis, a royal wedding and baby, and the revolutions in Libya, Egypt, and Syria. She has also reported on global sporting events including the Olympic Games London 2012, Rio 2016 and PyeongChang 2018, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. She has been a guest host for CBC News Network and CBC programs including THE NATIONAL, THE CURRENT, and AS IT HAPPENS, and has also reported for CBC's THE FIFTH ESTATE and MARKETPLACE. In recognition of her journalistic accomplishments, Ormiston has won three Gemini Awards and a Canadian Screen Award, including Best Reportage for her work in Afghanistan, and Best Digital for a Canadian election special called Ormiston Online. In 2011, she won a Foreign Press Association award in London, and this spring, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to joining CBC, Ormiston was a correspondent and host for W-Five. She studied at Carleton University, earning a Bachelor of Journalism.

Event Logistics:

This event is available to attend in-person only.

Rotman Events is committed to accessibility for all people. If you have any access needs or if there are any ways we can support your full participation in this session, please email Megan Murphy [events@rotman.utoronto.ca] no later than 2 weeks in advance of the event and we will be glad to work with you to make the appropriate arrangements.

General Admission: In-Person Ticket Details

• The event will be hosted at Desautels Hall at the Rotman School of Management (105 St. George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3E6). Your registration fee includes a seat at the session and the reception.

Questions: events@rotman.utoronto.ca, Megan Murphy