The Nexus of Climate Change and Increasing Demand for Energy: A Policy Deliberation from the Canadian Context

Canadian energy demand has been increasing due to population, industrial, and economic growth, and the effects of climate change have gained more visibility. Energy use is a major contributor for anthropogenic climate change. Therefore, global scale energy management strategies are paramount in climate change mitigation. However, the complicated ‘marriage’ between the climate change, energy demand and consumption, and the policy instruments are not sufficiently investigated. Therefore, this paper attempts to study the effect of policy instruments on energy demand and to identify other causes behind the demand trends. A comprehensive review of governmental policies assesses the consistency and effectiveness of existing policy instruments. Communication models for participatory involvement of stakeholders in mitigation initiatives as well as the financial benefits and offsets are critically evaluated. The findings indicate that often, the views of some stakeholder groups, including the individual households and citizens, are not successfully reflected in policies. There is an apparent gap between the regulatory instruments and policies of the territorial, provincial, and local governments. Most stakeholders possess limited knowledge due to missing or partial information about energy demand and the outcomes of various policies. This paper aims to trigger a scholarly discussion focusing on the dynamics of energy demand and reguatory instruments and policies for climate change mitigation.