Media Clipping — February 4, 2004, The Toronto Star Editorial

Struggling to find more green energy

Nova Scotia is the little engine that could. Pollute, that is.

According to a new study by the non-profit research group GPI Atlantic, Nova Scotia accounts for one-quarter of the sulphur oxide this country belches out to generate electricity. On a per capita basis, that's eight times the national average. We lead all other provinces in this field, despite the fact our economy is dwarfed by Ontario’s.

The highlight reel doesn't end there. We pump many other poisons into the atmosphere, from carbon monoxide to dust and soot, at an alarming rate. “Like Canada, Nova Scotia is therefore a worse air polluter, on a per capita basis, than any OECD country,” the GPI study concludes.

Thankfully, the big picture is not so bleak. The study emphasizes that overall air quality in this province has improved significantly over the past 30 years. This is mainly due to the closure of heavy, dirty industry, like the coke ovens in Sydney, and the introduction of emission controls for power plants and other smokestacks.

So we are making genuine progress. How we can make better progress is the real question facing us.

For the foreseeable future, we will continue to meet three-quarters of our power needs by burning coal.

Part of the solution is to turn up the heat on Nova Scotia Power. The utility should be legally bound to make renewable energy a growing percentage of the power supply. Nova Scotia Power recently invested in two commercial-sized wind turbines which contribute less than 1 per cent of the power consumed by Nova Scotians.

Wind power can only ever be a supplementary source, since its output is unpredictable. Still, we need more of it.

Real strides in developing renewable energy, be it hydrogen or wind power, won't be made without legislative impetus, simply because no one seems to be in a hurry to explore alternatives.

Nova Scotians themselves are the other half of this equation. Unfortunately, they are not rising to the challenge very quickly. NSP mailed out 35,000 pamphlets to customers last year, offering to sell them blocks of green power for $5 each per month. Only 350, or 1 per cent, signed up for it.

Surely, we can do better. If Nova Scotians love the environment as much as they say, not only should they embrace more green power, but they should also rein in their demand for power.

Simple consumer choices such as turning down the thermostat and snubbing gas-guzzling SUVs can substantially reduce air pollution.

Over the next few years, let's make genuine progress. Perhaps then we can attract attention as the little engine that could — go green, that is.

This is an edited excerpt from an editorial that appeared in the Halifax Herald.

Copyright © 2004, The Toronto Star