ST. JOHN’S (NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is celebrating a commitment by the provincial government to achieve net zero by 2050. “This is a significant announcement that will energize the province’s cleantech sector and reduce Newfoundland and Labrador’s contribution to climate change,” said NEIA’s Executive Director Kieran Hanley.
On Tuesday Premier Ball revealed that the province had sent a letter to the Prime Minister indicating that the province was committing to achieving the 2050 net zero target.
‘Net zero’ refers to the striking of a balance within a jurisdiction between greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) produced and GHGs eliminated or taken out of the atmosphere. This commitment will challenge all sectors of the economy to reduce their environmental footprint, said Hanley. “Industries will need to be embrace new innovative ideas to reduce their emissions, presenting a substantial growth opportunity for Newfoundland and Labrador’s cleantech sector”.
“In some cases, particularly within heavy industry, reduction to zero emissions is simply not be feasible.” Hanley said this opens the door for investment into ‘offsets’ or new projects and initiatives within the province that will result in the corresponding reduction of emissions.
“A commitment to net zero can be transformative for our province,” said Hanley. “The continued success of our offshore oil and gas industry, for example, will be inextricably linked to the advancement of Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean growth economy.”
Hanley says that there is a lot of learning and education that will need to take place for industries, businesses, and other organizations to understand what a net zero policy means for their operations over time. “NEIA looks forward to working with its partners across the province to help provide that education and guidance,” said Hanley.
NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.
ST. JOHN’S (NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is celebrating the achievements of four members who are the winners of the province’s Environmental Industry Awards.
“While we are in the midst of a health and economic crisis, it is more important than it has ever been for us to celebrate the successes and achievements of our province’s business leaders,” said Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director.
“Canada’s economic recovery is going to be tied to a vision of clean growth,” said Hanley, “and business leaders like those that we are highlighting today are going to help lead Newfoundland and Labrador out of the fog and into the bright future that we know is within our grasp.”
“Congratulations to our award winners, and we all look forward to following your fine work helping to grow Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy.”
NEIA’s Industry Awards program features winners in four categories:
The Cleantech Innovation Award recognizes achievement in research and development, commercialization, and/or refinement of products, services, or processes that can mitigate effects to, protect, or enhance the environment. 2019’s Cleantech Innovation Award has been presented to eDNAtec. “eDNAtec is changing the way we look at environmental characterization and monitoring in our oceans, and is helping to establish Newfoundland and Labrador as a global centre of excellence for research and development in this exciting new field,” said Hanley.
Steve Barrett, CEO for eDNAtec
The Environmental Industry Business Excellence Award recognizes a significant initiative, project, or achievement of a business engaged in Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy. 2019’s Environmental Industry Business Excellent Award has been presented to Mysa. “Mysa is a clean technology firm in our province that been growing at an accelerated rate,” said Hanley. “In a few short years it has brought two products to international markets, grown to employ over 60 in its offices in St. John’s, and doubled down on its commitment to research, development, and innovation.”
Joshua Green, CEO Mysa
The Cleantech International Business Award recognizes a significant initiative or achievement of Newfoundland and Labrador business engaged in international business activities relating to cleantech or environmental services. 2019’s Cleantech International Business Award has been presented to Compusult. “This past year Compusult made a significant international investment by opening an office in The Hague – from which the company can build on its substantial business interests in Europe,” said Hanley.
Paul Mitten, Vice-President for Compusult
The Environmental Industry Champion Award recognizes the contribution of an individual to the growth of Newfoundland and Labrador’s environmental industry. 2019’s Environmental Industry Champion Award has been presented to Glenn Sharp. “Glenn has made an extraordinary contribution to the growth of the province’s green economy by becoming the first in the province to generate and sell carbon offsets; NEIA is proud to recognize him as an industry champion,” said Hanley.
Glenn Sharp
More information on the award winners can be found in the attached backgrounder. NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.
eNDAtec is revolutionizing how to assess, monitor and characterize the ocean through DNA sequencing, supporting the world’s ocean industries, including offshore energy, shipping, fisheries and aquaculture. This new generation of biological tracking systems is non-invasive, can be applied with considerably less effort and cost, and has been shown to be an effective monitoring tool in any ocean environment. Its Centre for Environmental Genomics Applications (CEGA) is a one of a kind centre of excellence dedicated to the application of genomics for environmental characterization and monitoring, positioning Newfoundland and Labrador as a global leader in ocean genomics. In 2019, eDNAtec continued its journey commercializing its technology through a series of international projects. They are currently providing biodiversity monitoring solutions to offshore oil and gas operations in various locations. Hibernia Management and Development Company Ltd. (HMDC) has supported the CEGA facility with millions of dollars in funding since 2015. HMDC, and its lead co-venturer ExxonMobil continue to share their local and global industry expertise with CEGA. eDNAtec has also received support from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).
Supported by investors from across Canada, Mysa has become one of the fastest growing, highly touted local technology companies in the province since its 2016 inception. Its mission is to help the world become more environmentally friendly and sustainable through energy efficiency and conservation, led by innovative technology that enriches our lives. By 2019 Mysa’s Smart Thermostats were being installed in homes across Canada and the United States. The company’s commitment to innovation is what drives it forward – and this past year two new initiatives stemming from that work were introduced. First, Mysa introduced a brand new product – its in-floor heating thermostat. Second, Mysa independently launched a pilot project to test software that it has in development to assist electricity utilities manage the demand of electricity in peak periods. In the meantime, Mysa has assumed a leadership role in Newfoundland and Labrador’s business community when it comes to sustainability, has won a series of national and international awards, and now employs over 60 in its rapidly expanding offices in St. John’s, NL.
Compusult is a global leader in geospatial interoperability, marketing a suite of standards-based applications offering revolutionary solutions for geospatial data discovery, access, and delivery in a wide variety of applications. This past year Compusult expanded its business in the Netherlands by opening its European headquarters in The Hague. The strategic decision will allow the company to have a base for its business operations in Europe and around the world, and enable it to provide more effective support to its client – the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency). The initiative was bolstered through international partnerships including the Canadian Embassy in the Netherlands, InnovationQuarter – the regional economic development agency for the greater Rotterdam – The Hague area, and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency. Compusult’s new location in the Dutch high-tech ecosystem represents a significant step forward in export and international business from a firm that was founded in 1985 in Mount Pearl, NL.
As the driving force behind the first ever generation, verification, certification, and sale of carbon offsets in Newfoundland and Labrador through Sharp Management, Glenn Sharp (P.Eng) has made a significant contribution to the environmental industry and green economy in the province. Through the design and implementation of engineered wetlands to treat sewage wastewater in the towns of Stephenville and Appleton/Glenwood, Sharp acquired certification through the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) of 55,071 carbon offsets from offsetting emissions of 50,000 tonnes of CO2. These local offsets are the cornerstone of NEIA’s ‘Carbon Offset Challenge’, a campaign that is creating awareness within Newfoundland and Labrador’s business community on the importance of recognizing and addressing the private sector’s environmental impact. Sharp’s achievements are but a sign of what is to come in a world that is moving towards a lower-carbon future – where improved environmental performance will directly align with economic opportunity.
NEIA’s Executive Director, Kieran Hanley, outlines the contribution that Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil and gas industry can make to Canada’s clean growth objectives during a provincial news conference today.
View a video of Hanley’s remarks, or read the transcript, below.
Kieran Hanley speaking at a news conference today in support of the province’s oil and gas industry
Transcript:
Good afternoon,
I would to thank Premier Ball, Minister Coady, and my colleagues and partners this afternoon for the opportunity to say a few words.
NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.
NEIA has over 200 members working throughout every sector of Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy, including the provision of environmental products and services within Canada’s offshore oil and gas industry. And on behalf of NEIA, I am here this afternoon to state that the success of this industry is not just critical to the economy of our province, but is also a centrepiece of Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean growth strategy.
We know that urgent action is required world-wide in order to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Such fundamental changes in the economy, its infrastructure, and the habits of consumers that will be required… will not happen overnight. Oil and gas represents upwards of 60% of global energy consumption; if the world has any hope of meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets, it is clear that changes within the oil and gas industry have to be part of the solution.
Canada can play a major role in helping to lead this shift. As you have already heard, the characteristics of its offshore industry put us in an excellent position in this regard. The type of oil in our offshore is highly attractive because its grade (light sweet crude) is the least impactful from an environmental perspective to process. The activities involved in the extraction of Canada’s offshore oil is among the least carbon intensive in the world – 30% below the international average in fact.
And so it is within our reach to set a global standard for the decarbonization of the oil and gas industry. There are opportunities for immediate investments and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. It is conceivable that Canada’s very first offshore wind farm could facilitate the electrification of offshore operations – what a fitting and powerful representation of the energy transition that would be. Alternatively, the clean electricity from our immense hydro resources can be used for the same purpose.
And beyond these major clean growth projects, there are myriad cleantech opportunities throughout the industry’s vast supply chain. Zero-emissions supply vessels. Electrified ports. Major energy efficiency initiatives. Digitalized and remote operations. These are substantial cleantech research, development, and commercialization endeavors … solutions that can be exported worldwide.
We know this because we have already seen this pattern play out. Atlantic Canada is home to an unnaturally high number of SMEs with world-class technologies that help us understand our impacts on the ocean environment and, in turn, its impact on us … through lasers, radar, sonar, subsea hi-def video, and so on.
This expertise would not have been developed without Canada’s offshore oil and gas industry. And this past success is indicative of the opportunities before us if we embrace – in a strategic fashion – becoming the least carbon intensive oil producing region on the planet.
Further, Canada’s offshore industry’s support of a provincial net zero by 2050 policy has the potential to dramatically alter the landscape of Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy. The continued success of this industry in our province will provide us with an opportunity to rapidly transition into one of the cleanest jurisdictions in the world with one of the most advanced clean growth economies.
But none of this will come to pass without the support that the industry needs today to survive this crisis. Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean technology and environmental services sector is working hard with its oil and gas partners to develop this vision of clean growth. Taking a collaborative approach, we know that the future can be bright for our province. We are committed to a clean growth future, and we are united in its pursuit.
The world is in the midst of an energy transition. Canada can be at the forefront, setting the standard by which other oil producing nations must follow. Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean growth opportunity is enormous – but we need help to make it happen.
Canada’s economic recovery is going to be tied to clean growth, and we need your ideas to make sure NL is ready
It is a safe bet to assume that Canada’s economic recovery efforts are going to be attached in some shape or form with clean growth.
This means that initiatives and projects that are tied to climate change mitigation, sustainability, environmental technology, clean energy, etc. are going to play a significant role in efforts to stabilize the economy – with a view to help Canada reach its target of net zero emissions by the year 2050.
Newfoundland and Labrador has to be ready to establish priorities that are line with these objectives.
The Smart Prosperity Institute has outlined to decision-makers at the Federal level what it believes to be the three ingredients for initiatives in support of a ‘resilient recovery’: (1) does the measure stimulate timely, lasting economic benefits and jobs?; (2) does the measure help the environment and support clean competitiveness; and (3) is the measure equitable, implementable, and feasible?
Image courtesy of the Smart Prosperity Institute
The spirit of these recommendations are being echoed by other influential organizations like the Pembina Institute.
We need to be keenly aware of this perspective in Newfoundland and Labrador so that we make this most of the opportunities associated with economic recovery. As we try to climb out of the hole that we find ourselves in, NEIA and its members believe that embracing the clean growth approach can go a long way in both supporting our existing industries that have been hammered, and in stimulating the long term economic diversification of our economy.
Looking for your input
NEIA has been hard at work developing a series of clean growth ideas and proposals for decision-makers to consider. We are looking for your ideas – no matter how big or small – on specific projects or broad initiatives that can help up our province succeed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic… both in the short and long term.
Please contact me directly with your ideas at kieran@neia.org. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Time is of the essence.
