Alberta’s transition to renewable energy vital for wildlife: WWF-Canada

TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 – World Wildlife Fund Canada welcomes the government of Alberta’s announcement of five new renewable energy projects, three of which are in partnership with First Nations. This brings Alberta’s total secured renewable energy generation to 1,300 MW in the past year, a critical step toward our global climate commitment to limit warming to 1.5C. 

James Snider, vice president of science, research and innovation for WWF-Canada, says:
“In making a significant commitment to 5,000 MW of renewable energy by 2030, the government of Alberta has sent a strong signal of support to developers and communities, resulting in some of the lowest costs for new wind energy in North America. Not only has this process proven successful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the Alberta electricity sector and securing cost-effective energy, but it has done so while engaging First Nations partnership and ownership, resulting in local economic development.

“On top of these successes, the government of Alberta has developed a promising framework for siting renewable energy projects to minimize disruption of important ecosystems and wildlife hotspots. As renewable energy grows, efforts to direct siting to areas with reduced conflict with nature will be increasingly important, to both speed development and protect wildlife. We look forward to biodiversity considerations becoming a new norm in renewable energy projects.”
  
Building biodiversity into siting decisions
WWF-Canada has developed an interactive tool that helps developers and decision-makers identify renewable energy projects that avoid conflict with nature and associated costly delays, by illustrating government wind and solar directives, as well as other ecological and biodiversity considerations, in Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Visit renewables4nature.wwf.ca for more information. 
    
About World Wildlife Fund Canada
WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more information, visit wwf.ca.
  
For further information
Rebecca Spring, senior communications specialist, [email protected], +1 647-338-6274