Climate summit evokes promises of cash
Environment honchos are meeting on the Old Port on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Montreal climate summit. For starters, Quebec’s giving $10 million to Energir for a heat reclamation project.
The city’s universities are also going to collaborate on measuring their emissions so their campuses can be upgraded.
L’actualité ledes with the news that the city’s going to plant 200,000 trees in the east end, and the city workers’ retirement fund is going to divest from fossil fuels.
Nicholas 17:28 on 2024-05-07 Permalink
Is there anything Quebec loves more than giving subsidies to a fossil fuel company to continue burning fossil fuels (mostly to provide inefficient hot water thermal heating)? I guess calling it a climate solution.
Ian 18:11 on 2024-05-07 Permalink
It does seem like weird optics at the very least.
dhomas 08:18 on 2024-05-08 Permalink
But, they’re giving money to “Énergir”! It’s for energy, right? It’s not like they’re giving money to a company like “Gaz Métro” or anything… /s
Jonathan 10:35 on 2024-05-08 Permalink
The money seems to be for electrifying the thermal distribution system used by Energir’s thermal subsidiary so that it *doesn’t* rely on natural gas except during peak or brownouts.
Ian 11:31 on 2024-05-08 Permalink
While I see the value in helping an existing energy company to pivot away from fossil fuels it does still seem like rewarding the the old boys club instead of inversting in new approaches.
Jonathan 11:51 on 2024-05-08 Permalink
Totally agree. They own the infrastructure so i suppose unless the govt buys it out and nationalizes it the status quo would be that it continues to use natural gas. This is an opportunity for Energir to become an energy company instead of a gas company (which technically it already is)