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transition 101
Fighting Disinformation on the Transition to a Clean Economy

Click here to access a PDF with all the combined myths.

1
Myth
Phasing out fossil fuels by 2050 is unrealistic and impossible.
Reality

The energy transition is accelerating more rapidly than anyone predicted. Between 2010 and 2022, the cost of solar, wind, heat pumps, and batteries fell by 80% on average. According to an Oxford University study, a rapid transition to 100% clean energy would save the global economy $12 trillion by 2070. These dynamics suggest that the rise of clean energy will displace most future demand growth for fossil fuels. Electricity has overtaken oil as the world’s primary carrier of useful energy, and rates of electrification are only accelerating. Today’s growth rates for the deployment of renewable technologies and electric vehicles are already outpacing the rate of change required by the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Net Zero by 2050 scenario. Geopolitical developments will intensify these dynamics; the “energy trilemma” has been solved, as governments are realizing that investments in clean energy can reduce energy costs, promote energy security, and advance climate action simultaneously. Major energy-importing regions, particularly the EU and China, have an economic and geopolitical interest to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible. Considering these trends, the IEA projects that fossil fuel demand will all peak this decade, even without any new climate policies. In the IEA’s net-zero scenario, demand for fossil fuels declines by 80% by 2050, the sole path which ensures a liveable future for humanity within a 1.5 degree temperature threshold.

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

2
Myth
Cutting fossil fuel production would hurt Canada’s economy.
Reality

The energy transition is accelerating regardless of what happens in Canada, and Canada is already falling behind. Without urgent action, studies show that Canada’s economy could face up to $100 billion in stranded assets in the oil and gas sector by as early as 2036. According to the Canadian Climate Institute, 70% of Canada’s goods exports and 60% of our foreign direct investment derive from sectors that are vulnerable to the energy transition. As a high-cost producer with emissions-intensive fuels, Canadian producers will be hit by two major economic tailwinds: a loss of markets, and low and volatile prices. Conversely, the transition to a low-carbon economy has the potential to bring many benefits; in a net-zero scenario, the GDP of Canada’s clean energy sector would grow by a factor of six, creating more than 2.2 million clean energy jobs. Additionally, the upfront costs of the energy transition pale in comparison to the overall costs of climate disruption; a recent study estimated that climate change will cause $99 trillion in global economic damages between 2025 and 2050, if rapid action is not taken. Other studies suggest that a 3.7°C temperature increase could cause $551 trillion in damage, which is more than all the wealth that currently exists in the world.

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

3
Myth
The fossil fuel industry creates wealth for communities and for Canada.
Reality

While the fossil fuel industry claims that it is a major source of wealth for this country, there are many ways in which the sector worsens inequality, takes money from the public, and imposes long-term costs on taxpayers. Profits in the O&G industry have increased over 1,000% since 2019, the majority of which was spent on share buybacks. Although fossil fuel CEOs earn an average compensation of $13.4 million, Alberta alone lost 20,000 fossil fuel jobs between 2019 and 2022, despite the industry experiencing record earnings. Of every dollar of inflation experienced over the last two years, 25 cents have gone to O&G and mining profits. Most of these profits leave Canada; in 2018, 77% of corporations on the board of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers were foreign-owned. Public revenues from the industry have only declined, with royalties and corporate taxes paid by the industry to Canadian federal and provincial governments decreasing by 63% and 50% from 2000 to 2016, even while oil sands production rose 75% over that same period. Between 2018 and 2020, Canada provided 14.5 times more support to fossil fuels than to renewable energy, and between 2015 and 2019 the Canadian government provided over $100 billion to the industry. Meanwhile, taxpayers are saddled with the long-term costs of extraction, including $260 billion in clean-up costs, an amount which pales in comparison to $5.5 trillion in potential climate-related damages.

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

4
Myth
Canadian fossil fuels are more ethical and more environmentally friendly.
Reality

Canadian fossil fuel companies frequently claim they are more environmentally and socially responsible than foreign producers. In reality, Canadian fuels are among the highest-emitting in the world; oil sands production is roughly twice as emissions-intensive as the production of conventional light crude. This is one of the reasons why the oil and gas sector remains the largest contributor to rising emissions in Canada, even as other sectors decarbonize. A recent study found that the sector releases up to 6,400% more air pollution than it self-reports. The industry’s unconventional extraction methods also require significant quantities of toxic chemicals, which accumulate in massive pools called “tailings ponds.” These ponds contain 1.4 trillion litres of toxic fluids, leaking about 11 million litres into the surrounding environment every day. These damages disproportionately affect Indigenous communities, with a recent Imperial Oil leak leeching 5.3 million litres of toxic water into the lands of the Mikisew Cree, Athabasca Chipewyan, and other nations. These communities were not informed about the leak until at least 9 months after it began. Other frequent infringements on human rights and Indigenous rights include displacement, violations of consent, negative health impacts, cultural disruptions, sexual violence, and more.

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

5
Myth
The fossil fuel industry is preparing for a net-zero future.
Reality

The UN Secretary-General has accused fossil fuel companies of using “bogus net-zero pledges” to delay the transition away from fossil fuels. Now that climate denial is no longer credible, fossil fuel companies have shifted to a new strategy: claiming that they are working towards net-zero emissions while simultaneously 1) investing in fossil fuel expansion, 2) using false promises of carbon capture and storage to prolong the life of fossil fuels, and 3) lobbying against strong climate policies. In Canada, the Pathways Alliance represents the largest oil producers which collectively claim to be “on a path to reach net-zero emissions from operations.” In reality, though, the sector’s emissions are increasing rather than decreasing. Moreover, these net-zero targets do not include the emissions associated with the actual combustion and use of fossil fuels (also called Scope 3 emissions), which account for around 88% of total emissions in the sector on average. Canadian producers are on track to increase their oil and gas production by 14% and 29% respectively between 2022 and 2030, even though the International Energy Agency has determined that there should be no fossil fuel expansion projects after 2021. Most fossil fuel companies plan to meet their emissions targets by investing in large carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects; however, carbon capture in the energy supply sector is known to increase emissions, increase fuel extraction through enhanced oil recovery, and worsen carbon lock-in. A report by the Energy Transitions Commission aimed to “dispel the notion that CCUS and carbon removals justify business as usual for fossil fuel production.”

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

6
Myth
Economic reconciliation with Indigenous peoples requires investing more in fossil fuels.
Reality

Indigenous peoples have the right to freely pursue their economic development and to determine and develop priorities for the use of their lands, territories, or other resources, including fossil fuels. The right to self-determination is an inherent and internationally recognized right of Indigenous peoples that has been denied under colonialism, creating systemic conditions of economic marginalization for many Indigenous communities. After several generations of exploitation of their territories and resources by the fossil fuel industry, oil and gas projects are now being pitched as vital economic lifelines that could deliver lasting prosperity to Indigenous communities. Whether or not new fossil fuel projects really can deliver economic growth for Indigenous communities (and the dubious long-term outlook for fossil fuels suggests otherwise), the right of Indigenous peoples to free, prior, and informed consent must be upheld. Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples unequivocally requires economic shifts to the status quo, especially to the entrenched denial of Indigenous rights endemic to Canada’s natural resource regime. As long as colonial governments remain the ultimate arbiters of Indigenous peoples’ resources and FPIC isn’t required for projects to go ahead, it is possible that economic reconciliation will fall short of the minimum standards laid out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

*Written in collaboration with Josh Kioke

7
Myth
The growth potential of the clean economy is limited.
Reality

The energy transition is happening ahead of schedule, and a massive boom in clean energy investment is accelerating a new industrial revolution. Solar energy investments have reached more than $1 billion per day, surpassing annual investments in upstream oil production for the first time in 2023. Solar capacity additions increased by nearly 50% last year, and are outpacing the rate projected in the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Net Zero by 2050 scenario. Renewable electricity has become the cheapest power source in most regions, and is on track to account for 90% of global electricity expansion over the next five years, overtaking coal by 2025. Renewable power presents a superior risk-return profile, generating 422.7% returns over the last decade as compared to just 59% for traditional energy. Demand for electric cars is also exploding, with sales rising by more than one-third in 2023, and investment in EVs has doubled since 2021 to reach $130 billion last year. Combustion vehicle sales peaked globally in 2017 and are now in permanent decline. All of these trends imply that the growth of the clean energy economy will only accelerate. In a net-zero scenario, the GDP of Canada’s clean energy sector would grow by a factor of six, contributing to widespread prosperity. For more information, see our mythbusting report.

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

8
Myth
Renewable energy and electric vehicles are inferior technologies.
Reality

It is not true that renewables and electric vehicles are unreliable, inefficient, or prohibitively expensive. In fact, an energy system dominated by renewables has the potential to deliver many benefits. While fossil fuels face increasing costs of extraction over time, renewables have benefited from a virtuous cycle of declining costs and improved performance that has turbocharged their growth. A key metric used to express the efficiency of energy technologies is “energy return on investment” (EROI), which has declined by 23% for fossil fuels over a 16 year period. Solar, wind, and hydropower all have an EROI that is now greater than that of petroleum oil. It is also untrue that the intermittency of renewable power increases grid instability. The introduction of distributed energy resources and other grid flexibility solutions can help improve reliability, reduce costs, and decarbonize the grid simultaneously. In reality, the biggest driver of grid instability is the poor performance of gas fleets during extreme weather events. Power outages have doubled over the past 20 years due to the worsening effects of climate change. The transition to electric vehicles will also bring economic benefits, as the long-term costs of owning an EV are significantly lower than ICE vehicles given how much drivers save on gas prices and maintenance costs. The average range for an EV sold in the US is 300 miles, which is comparable to a gasoline-powered car. For more information, see our mythbusting report.

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

9
Myth
There are not enough good green jobs to provide a viable alternative career path.
Reality

Employment in the clean economy has been growing significantly in recent years, and will only continue to rise. In the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Net Zero scenario, clean energy investments would create 30 million new jobs globally by 2030, more than compensating for the five million jobs that would be lost in the fossil fuel sector. These jobs also come with better pay; research shows that jobs in wind and solar offer respectively 37% and 28% higher salaries than the median wage. Across Canada, clean energy jobs are set to grow 7% per year, reaching 2.7 million jobs by 2050. In contrast, direct employment in the fossil fuel sector in Canada is already quite low, typically representing less than 1% of total employment. Fossil fuel jobs are already in decline; between 2014 and 2019 the oil and gas industry in Canada eliminated 53,000 jobs, and between 2019 and 2022 another 20,000 positions disappeared in Alberta alone despite the industry experiencing record profits. There is now a push to automate the industry, which fossil fuel executives call “de-manning” the oil sands. Other labour issues plaguing the sector include falling wages, insecurity through gig work, large unfunded pension liabilities, high average fatality rates, and deunionization. To manage the decline of the industry, we need a just transition to renewable energy that benefits workers over shareholders. For more information, see our mythbusting report.

For more information, see our mythbusting report.

More Informations
If you want to go further in the analysis, we created an “unsustainability” report on each key company hindering progress on the clean economy.
Resources on
Fossil Fuel Influence