『On the Ground: Environmental Intelligence』のカバーアート

On the Ground: Environmental Intelligence

On the Ground: Environmental Intelligence

著者： Andrew Nuttall
無料で聴く

On the Ground is a weekly Canadian environmental intelligence podcast delivering in-depth, non-partisan coverage of the country's most pressing environmental issues. It is independently produced, verified-source-driven, and free from ideological spin, making it a trusted resource for Canadians who want honest, nuanced environmental journalism. Complete bibliographies provided.2026 博物学 社会科学 科学 自然・生態学
エピソード
  • 010 - Whatever Happened to Canadian Hydrogen?

    010 - Whatever Happened to Canadian Hydrogen?
    2026/08/27
    What happens to the clean energy transition when public investment heavily subsidizes upstream production while leaving downstream transport and commercial delivery unsolved? The domestic push for underground hydrogen extraction originated in Calgary with laboratory data demonstrating that in-situ combustion could successfully separate hydrogen while trapping carbon emissions deep underground. Field deployment soon followed in Kerrobert, Saskatchewan. Hydrogen offers considerable potential as an industrial feedstock for clean metal production, provided delivery costs from extraction sites to smelters can compete with conventional natural gas. However, the physical difficulty of moving the smallest molecule on earth remains a major operational bottleneck. While innovators in Alberta test liquid organic carriers to utilize existing trucking fleets, these publicly funded ventures still operate without contracted commercial buyers. When American metal tariffs accelerated market disruptions, steelmakers in Sault Ste. Marie transitioned directly to grid-powered electric arc furnaces a full year ahead of schedule. That operational shift reduced industrial emissions by seventy percent, but it also resulted in more than one thousand layoffs as production volumes dropped. Across the country, regional data illustrates why established hydro and nuclear grids are currently doing the heavy lifting for industrial decarbonization. Upstream production capacity remains economically stranded without the physical distribution networks required to delive hydrogen to paying industrial customers. In this episode, we track how trade negotions and infrastructure limits are dictating the pace of uptake for Canadian hydrogen on the ground. Episode Timestamps 0:00 Engineering new hydrogen delivery solutions 10:25 Forced change, massive industrial emission reductions 20:48 Proving Canada can build this Bibliography Local and regional outlets Saskatchewan "First-of-its-kind hydrogen production project slated for Sask." SaskToday.ca, June 24, 2020."Saskatchewan pilots hydrogen to fuel the future." SaskToday.ca, July 15, 2020."SaskPower adding gas turbines to Ermine Power Station near Kerrobert." WestCentralOnline (west central Saskatchewan), July 2022."Sask. Government pause on industrial carbon tax to begin tomorrow." WestCentralOnline, March 31, 2025. Ontario "Algoma Steel laying off more than 1,000 workers." SooToday, December 1, 2025."500 new jobs coming to Algoma Steel next year: Joly." Northern Ontario Business, December 8, 2025."500 new jobs coming to Algoma Steel next year: Joly." SooToday, December 5, 2025."Those 500 new jobs at Algoma Steel aren't a done deal." SooToday, January 24, 2026.Hopkin, James. "Some of Algoma Steel's 1,000 planned layoffs will be postponed." SooToday, March 19, 2026."Algoma Steel expects first-quarter loss as electric furnace transition is complete." Northern Ontario Business, April 1, 2026.Hopkin, James. "'It's a bad situation': Steelworker retraining programs finally receive funding." SooToday, July 7, 2026. Alberta "Ayrton Energy Secures $6.8M to Advance Clean Hydrogen Technology." Calgary.Tech, September 26, 2024."Ayrton receives $9.2M investment from BDC for hydrogen transport system." SustainableBiz Canada, September 24, 2024. British Columbia "$135M upgrade complete at Rio Tinto's Kitimat smelter." The Northern View (Prince Rupert, B.C.), April 24, 2026.NorthX. "Ayrton Energy Inc.: Scaling and optimization of e-LOHC for room temperature hydrogen transport and storage." Project record, 2025. Quebec "Frappées par les tarifs douaniers de Donald Trump, les exportations métallurgiques québécoises sont en chute libre." Le Devoir, June 5, 2026. Nova Scotia Baxter, Joan. "EverWind Fuels' 'green hydrogen and ammonia' project in Nova Scotia will be partly powered by coal." Halifax Examiner, October 23, 2024.Baxter, Joan. "Feds offer EverWind $125 million despite many unanswered questions about 'green hydrogen' project." Halifax Examiner, November 20, 2023. Peer-reviewed research Devlin, Alexandra, Kossen, Jannik, Goldie-Jones, Haulwen and Yang, Aidong. "Global green hydrogen-based steel opportunities surrounding high quality renewable energy and iron ore deposits." Nature Communications 14, 2578 (2023). DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-38123-2.Rinaldi, Lorenzo, Ghezzi, Debora, Colombo, Emanuela and Rocco, Matteo Vincenzo. "Assessing environmental and market implications of steel decarbonisation strategies: a hybrid input-output model for the European union." Environmental Research Letters 19, 074059 (July 5, 2024). DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ad5bf1.Watari, Takuma and McLellan, Benjamin. "Global demand for green hydrogen-based steel: Insights from 28 scenarios." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 79 (August 2024), pp. 630 to 635. DOI 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.06.423. Reports and analysis Khan, M.A., Powell, M., Tampier, M., Thorn, E. and Layzell, D. (2023). Hydrogen and the ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    29 分
  • 009 - Deciding What's Green

    009 - Deciding What's Green
    2026/08/20
    How should regulators decide whether an open-pit rare earth mine is genuinely clean when the minerals coming out of it are used in both low-carbon and high-carbon applications? In July, Ottawa introduced its draft sustainable finance taxonomy to classify clean investments and steer private capital across major sectors of the economy. In Northern BC, upstream extraction faces immediate downgrades because its customer base includes defence contractors alongside clean technology manufacturers. Further east, dual-provincial environmental reviews and New York private equity ownership complicate the Strange Lake deposit along the Quebec-Labrador boundary. The primary extraction of critical minerals generates heavy life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and significant physical disturbance. As industrial demand accelerates, balancing dual-use mineral extraction against regional watershed protection presents serious ecological trade-offs for long-term environmental health. Following Australian precedent, the Canadian framework proposals demand that upstream producers demonstrate exclusive end-use alignment or achieve net zero emissions. Except, following the framework is voluntary, and research economists have found that voluntary classification rules fail to stop greenwashing unless enforced by statutory regulations or binding commercial loan contracts. To establish independent processing capacity, the Saskatchewan Research Council in Saskatoon is building specialized hydrometallurgy facilities to process rare earth materials for half a million electric vehicles annually. Concurrently, commercial recyclers in Kingston are scaling secondary processing circuits, even as less than one percent of global rare earth scrap is currently recovered. In this episode, we trace Canada's critical mineral supply chain from British Columbia drill pads to national capital markets, evaluating how federal classification incentives, local equity partnerships, and global defence demands shape industrial viability, regional economic development, and the national path to net zero. Episode Timestamps 0:00 Sustainable Finance and Rare-Earth Minerals 11:23 Infrastucture, Ownership, and the Rules of Capital Bibliography Local Newspapers and Radio Stations Berls, Adam. McLeod Lake Indian Band and Defense Metals Corp enter into partnership for rare earth elements mine east of Bear Lake. CKPG Today, Prince George, British Columbia, 17 January 2024.Foley, Jessica. Cyclic Materials to open Kingston Centre of Excellence. Kingstonist, Kingston, Ontario, 12 June 2025.McEwen, Larissa. Sask. Research Council's rare earth facility set to drive growth in Saskatchewan's tech sector. DiscoverEstevan.com, Estevan, Saskatchewan, 27 April 2025.Partnership paves way for rare earth elements mine north of Prince George. Prince George Citizen, Prince George, British Columbia, 18 January 2024. Peer Reviewed Studies Inderst, Roman, and Marcus M. Opp. Sustainable finance versus environmental policy: Does greenwashing justify a taxonomy for sustainable investments? Journal of Financial Economics, vol. 163, 2025.Sustainable finance taxonomies: Designed to support the transition to a net zero economy? Climate Policy, published online 3 August 2026.Environmental Impact of Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Primary Sources and NiMH Batteries: A Literature Review. Metals, vol. 16, no. 3, 2026. Polling Angus Reid Institute. Canada's Critical Minerals Push: Major Mines and Mineral Strategy Under Liberal Watch. 2 December 2025. Government, Party and Policy Documents Canadian Climate Institute, Canadian Taxonomy and Transition Planning Council, and Business Future Pathways. Canadian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy: Methodology Report, Draft for Public Comment. July 2026.Conservative Party of Canada. Poilievre Will Bring in One and Done Approvals, Accelerate Ten Specific Resource Projects. 9 April 2025.Green Party of Canada. Green Economy.European Commission. Multi Jurisdiction Common Ground Taxonomy. November 2024. Company and Institutional Sources Defense Metals Corp. Defense Metals Announces Commencement of the Spring 2026 Drill Program at Wicheeda Rare Earths Project. 6 May 2026.Defense Metals Corp. Defense Metals Provides Corporate Update Highlighting Continued Execution and Strategic Momentum. 13 July 2026.Defense Metals Corp. Defense Metals Invited by Natural Resources Canada to Submit a Full Project Proposal for its Wicheeda Processing Feasibility Program. 12 August 2026.Saskatchewan Research Council. Rare Earth Processing Facility. Trade and Business Press Environment Journal. Comment period starts on Canada's Sustainable Finance Taxonomy. 13 July 2026.The Globe and Mail. Torngat Metals raises $165 million in federal financing for Quebec rare earths mine project. 17 June 2025.MINING.COM. Torngat eyes Strange Lake feasibility study as timing slips for Quebec rare earths project. 3 February 2026.MINING.COM. Torngat Metals secures ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    25 分
  • 008 - Why Data Centers are Powered by Gas

    008 - Why Data Centers are Powered by Gas
    2026/08/12
    As tech giants pour billions into Canadian digital infrastructure, energy planners face a mounting dilemma: how can we accommodate massive artificial intelligence computing loads without triggering widespread grid failures, surging consumer electricity bills, or a resurgence in fossil fuel emissions? The controversy crystallized in July when Meta broke ground on a thirteen billion dollar facility in Sturgeon County, demanding one gigawatt of continuous power. Drawing nearly eight percent of Alberta's peak winter capacity into a single building reveals how individual digital projects can strain regional power systems. Faced with sixteen gigawatts of transmission requests against a one point two gigawatt grid ceiling, Alberta developers pivoted toward private, gas-fired generation to meet aggressive computing deadlines. British Columbia responded by rationing four hundred megawatts of capacity through competitive selection while exempting traditional forestry, mining, and gas industries from competing. Municipal friction intensified as Mississauga passed an interim moratorium on new data centres, while New Brunswick residents rallied against a proposed three hundred ninety megawatt gas-backed facility. Political leaders are clashing over federal efficiency standards, Conservative fast-tracking corridors, and Green Party calls for provincial moratoriums. Public opinion remains sharply divided, with eighty-one percent of surveyed Canadians fearing higher electricity bills even as local municipalities weigh crucial commercial tax revenues against rising infrastructure costs. To bypass fossil generation, utility developers are constructing commercial Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Ontario and pursuing underground compressed air storage, though nuclear completion timelines lag behind immediate digital demand. In this episode, we evaluate the financial trade-offs, grid capacity constraints, regulatory clashes, and environmental realities shaping Canada's rapid transition toward gigawatt-scale data processing infrastructure. Episode Timestamps 0:00 Private Gas, Grid Ceilings, and Regional Power Clashes 10:40 SMR Economics, Flexible Software, and Energy Storage Bibliography Local Papers and Radio Stations Boulton, Scott. "SaskPower says power draw of new AI data centre within capabilities." DiscoverMooseJaw.com, March 18, 2026.CHAT News Today. "Final investment announcement for the Greenlight Electricity Centre." Medicine Hat, Alberta, July 2, 2026. Kohler, Lukas. "A growing footprint: AI data centre planned for rural N.B." CHCO TV 26, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, July 9, 2026. Sturgeon, Nathalie. "N.B. Power action plan defers some major recommendations." CHCO TV 26, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, June 3, 2026. Laprise, Bryan. "Citizens rally against data centre project proposed in Sherbrooke." The Sherbrooke Record, August 6, 2026. Yadav, Anushka. "Mississauga becomes first Ontario city to pause new AI data centres, but proponent likely to appeal." The Pointer, July 30, 2026. Business Examiner. "BC Hydro looking for clean power for AI and data centres." Victoria, British Columbia, February 4, 2026. Polling Karadeglija, Anja. "Fears are widespread about data centre impacts on Canada's water, environment: poll." The Canadian Press, July 18, 2026. Leger survey of 1,505 respondents, July 10 to 13, 2026. Government Documents, Regulators, and System Operators Alberta Electric System Operator. "2025 Annual Market Statistics." March 2026. Alberta Electric System Operator. "AESO Announces Interim Approach to Large Load Connections." McCarthy Tétrault. "Alberta Faces a Surge in AI Data Centre Power Demand: AESO Responds with Phased Connection Plan." Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. "Peace River Nuclear Power Project, registry reference 89430." Company and Project Sources BetaKit. "Meta to build Canada's largest data centre north of Edmonton." July 2026. Kineticor. "Greenlight Electricity Centre." Pembina Pipeline Corporation. "Greenlight Electricity Centre." Energy Alberta. "Project." Hydrostor. "Quinte Energy Storage Centre." Ontario Power Generation. "OPG marks new milestones in construction of G7's first Small Modular Reactor." Trade Press World Nuclear News. "Canada's first SMR project: How is CAD20.9 billion cost calculated?" World Nuclear News. "Darlington SMR project's foundation module milestone." May 1, 2026. CoStar. "Building Ontario Fund touts small modular nuclear reactors as green energy supplier for data centres." March 5, 2026. POWER Magazine. "Ontario Advances Bruce C Nuclear Project with $300M Pre-Development Agreement." May 7, 2026. DataCenterNews Canada. "Feds seek applications for sovereign data centres over 100MW." Ontario Construction News. "Provincial Green Party leader calls for moratorium on new AI data centres." August 11, 2026. Party Material Conservative Party of Canada. "Poilievre To Create 'Canada First National Energy Corridor.'" March 31, 2025. Green Party of Canada....
    続きを読む 一部表示
    24 分
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
まだレビューはありません