CSR Highlights
The relationship between energy consumption and climate change is clear, and the world is changing rapidly in its approach to dealing with the issue.
While North Americans need energy to live our daily lives and improve our standard of living, excess hydrocarbon energy consumption and waste are harming the environment. It is time for both industry and individuals to embrace change and take action.
We need to reduce GHG emissions to decrease the rate of global warming. We need to reduce our reliance on hydrocarbons and find more efficient ways of producing, consuming, and storing energy. And we need to work together to find collaborative climate change solutions.
Enbridge is taking action. We’re putting our own house in order by cutting down on our emissions. Already, we’ve exceeded our target to reduce Canadian direct GHG emissions to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010. We’re investing in renewable energy technologies through our soon-to-be four wind farms. And, we’re developing a hybrid fuel cell system to produce clean electricity from our natural gas distribution system – energy that would otherwise be wasted.
Enbridge is also leading a group of over 30 organizations in Alberta to find ways to develop a carbon dioxide sequestration pilot project we’re calling the Alberta Saline Aquifer Project (ASAP). Carbon capture and sequestration is an important tactic in the effort to reduce GHG emissions, and saline aquifers in Alberta alone have the potential capacity to store 20,000 mega-tonnes of carbon dioxide (a "mega-tonne" is one million tonnes). This capacity translates into 342 years of storage capacity based on our current carbon dioxide production levels and regulations.
And, Enbridge is helping consumers use energy wisely. Enbridge Gas Distribution has implemented demand side management (DSM) programs aimed at helping customers reduce their energy consumption. Since 1995, our programs have saved enough natural gas to meet the needs of over one million homes for one year.
Young people are increasingly aware of the climate change issue and are understandably concerned. We believe that educating the next generation about conservation is ultimately very important, and that is why Enbridge is supporting the Pembina Institute’s Green Learning online education program, aimed at encouraging changes in the way society thinks about energy consumption and conservation. That’s also why we’ve made the Pembina Institute’s booklet, Climate Change: It’s Time, available on our website. The booklet explains the issues – and the actions you can take to make a difference.
We face a lot of challenges ahead as we move to make all of our operations more sustainable. Meeting these challenges is going to require a lot of good ideas from everyone – which is why we’ll continue to collaborate with individuals like Dr. Bob Page, Chair, National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), and Robert Hornung, President, Canadian Wind Energy Association.