With an abundance of natural resources driving a strengthening economy and a well-educated workforce, the odds should be stacked in Canada’s favour to continue competing among the world’s wealthiest nations well into the 21st century. Yet there are increasing calls for a Canadian energy strategy that reconciles the environment and the economy, proactively securing a future without the cheap abundance of fossil fuels. Inherent in such a plan is the recognition that climate change and rising carbon emissions will play a central role in the structure of global economies.

Achieving a Canadian energy strategy has been challenging because of a lack of a common vocabulary for all stakeholders. What’s more, a lack of public interest in developing such a vocabulary makes it difficult to achieve.

In January 2011, Pollution Probe, an environmental organization, released its Primer on Energy Systems in Canada, a document with the goal of increasing ‘energy literacy’ among the Canadian public, industry and government. It offers an important reference point for all sides to adopt a ‘whole systems perspective’ and use a common set of terms to discuss energy systems.

“It [aims to] bring a sense of normality to dialogues that you would find in an electricity discussion and an oil and gas sector discussion,” says Bob Oliver, Pollution Probe CEO. “It’s meant to enable dialogue to occur in a much more productive manner so many of the organizations that are hosting these energy discussions can use it and find value.”

Recognizing that consumers demand the activities that energy enables rather than kilowatt-hours, Pollution Probe’s energy primer details a terminology for simplifying the complexity of our energy infrastructure. For example, using a table lamp for night-time reading would be an “energy amenity”, the lighting providing the amenity is an “energy service” and the electricity powering the lights are “energy commodities.”

Educating Canadians on the progress clean technologies their economic benefits is another clear obstacle in the path of renewable energy.