Man in a hard hat consults tablet while standing in front of a transmission line. By Marla Orenstein and Ashley Meller Originally published in Canada's National Observer , Jan. 27, 2026

By Keren Perla and Ailsa Popilian Originally published in The Hub , December 13, 2025

SERIES: PART 3 of 3 When a range of opportunities is on the table, spreading bets can lead to big wins — but success relies on the strategies used. Alberta can hedge across a number of emerging energy and resource sectors, yet the real challenge is where to place those bets to maximize future success. In the   first   and   second   parts of this series we introduced 16 low-emission opportunities and scratched the surface on ways to evaluate them, focusing on the potential si

Originally published on LinkedIn  | July 3, 2025 Contributors: Keren Perla , Ailsa Popilian SERIES: PART 2 of 3 Driving competitiveness as markets shift In the first part  of this series, we made the case that in today’s landscape diversification into low-carbon opportunities is a no regret move for Alberta and identified three categories of opportunity where Alberta has a potential edge: clean energy enablers, exportable business solutions, and low-emission product plays. Bu

Originally published on LinkedIn  | June 4, 2025 Contributors: Keren Perla , Ailsa Popilian SERIES: PART 1 of 3 Energy is having a surprisingly unifying moment in the Canadian public discourse. The talk of becoming an “ energy superpower ” is getting serious and inevitably, Alberta will have skin in the game. In the era of energy co-existence, where traditional and low-carbon solutions develop side-by-side, Alberta’s mix of resources, talent, and infrastructure should put it

Accelerating Investment in Emerging Net-Zero Aligned Energy Industries a Clear Priority Budget 2023 offered a much-needed response to...

How can Alberta’s economy continue to attract investment in a net-zero future? Over the last year, great minds in finance, policy, advocacy, and systems change have come together through the Energy Futures Policy Collaborative to answer this question, and Smart Prosperity Institute has been both a participant and an advisor on the process. One key finding has been that decades of extracting oil and gas has given Alberta the tools to excel in other sectors, if the right polici

A just transition to net-zero won’t be easy and anyone who claims it will be is either kidding themselves or ignoring the complexities of this challenge. The truth is, net-zero by 2050 is a tall order. Pair that with the need to enable a just transition and there’s a challenge spanning whole new heights. But that’s not to say that creating a more inclusive and equitable net-zero future is out of reach. With government and business leaders getting ready to converge in Glasgow

How the federal and Alberta governments can support investment in low-carbon activities that build on Alberta’s strengths Una Jefferson is a Research Associate at the Smart Prosperity Institute. She is a member of the working group for the Energy Futures Policy Collaborative. Albertans think their economy is too dependent on oil and gas, according to  a 2020 poll . Albertan firms are already working on repurposing assets from Alberta’s hydrocarbon industry towards economic ac

Around the world, countries, corporations, and people are picking up the call for a net-zero future. This global rallying cry is highlighting that we need to do more to reach a lower emissions future and we need to do it at an exponential pace. We cannot close the gap between our reality today, and our aspirations for what is possible, without developing and deploying technologies that both manage our greenhouse gas emissions and add value to our economy. The transition to a

A shift towards a world with drastically lower carbon emissions appears to be in the cards. The UNFCC noted that  global commitments to reach net-zero emissions  from regions, cities, corporations, and countries has doubled since September 2019, and that was before China, Japan, and South Korea  all pledged  to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or 2060. This transition towards low carbon emission energy sources in global markets will utterly transform resource economies long-t