Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Brett Dolter

@brettdolter.bsky.social

190 followers 80 following 85 posts

Climate change policy researcher. Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Regina.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 27

Thanks to the City of Regina for their collaboration on the survey and to all of the Regina residents who participated in the survey. We appreciate you taking the time to answer the phone and respond to the survey

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 27

There is also support for a number of policies and actions the City of Regina could take to make progress towards the 100% renewable and net-zero target. Here's a snapshot of what Regina residents think about those actions.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 27

We also asked if Regina residents support a broader city-wide 100% renewable goal where the City of Regina would work to ensure that the entire city, including private buildings and vehicles, is powered by 100% renewable energy by 2050. 64.5% of Regina residents support that broader target.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 27

In case you don't want to read the whole report, here's a couple snapshots of the results. We asked if Regina residents support the city working to power all of its buildings and vehicles using 100% renewable energy by 2050. 67% of Regina residents support that target

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 27

Thanks also to Adam Hunter for a discussion of the survey and Regina's next steps towards our 100% renewable and net-zero goals. Our conversation on CBC's Morning Edition can be heard here: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

© CBC/Radio-Canada 2025. All rights reserved.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 27

What do Regina residents think about the 100% renewable target? Do they support continued purchase of electric buses? In new research, Jessica Smith and I survey 453 Regina residents to find out. Our summary report can be found here: hdl.handle.net/10294/16870.

Regina Energy Futures Survey 2025: Measuring support for the City of Regina’s Energy and Sustainability Framework Goals and Supportive Policies

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

p.s. In terms of the social cost of carbon 1 tonne of CO2 causes $271 in damage. Governments should consider this damage in their decisions. When analyzing policy we should use a gasoline price of $2.00/litre, natural gas price of $20/GJ & residential electricity price of 30 cents/kwh.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

Just to close off, I'll send out a thank you to Jessica Smith for her work on designing the City of Regina survey, as well as to City of Regina staff for their collaboration & feedback. Thanks also to all of the Regina residents who participated in the survey. Together we can meet these targets

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

3. cont For example, we might find that the health benefits of electrifying school buses & reducing kids' exposure to diesel exhaust make that project rank higher than electrifying the city fleet. This can guide decision-making at the City of Regina & ensure we all row in the same direction

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

3. With an inventory of actions & policies + good analysis of the complete costs & benefits of each, we could rank & prioritize actions using metrics like $/tonne CO2 reduced. We might determine that electric buses should not be the first priority, but we would have other actions at the ready.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

2. cont With the elimination of the federal fuel charge, many organizations are cancelling emission reduction projects. This is bad economics. Greenhouse gases like CO2 still do damage & harm well-being even when they are not priced. We can consider this damage using the social cost of carbon.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

2. Evaluate the costs & benefits of each of the actions or policy supports the City can implement. For example, when it comes to electric buses, we can look at the costs of purchasing & energizing them, but we should also look at the value of benefits like cleaner air & reduced climate damage.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

I'll continue to research these topics. In the meantime, the City of Regina could consider three actions to ensure progress is made:

1. Create a roadmap for each of the 32 actions outlining supports the City of Regina can offer to ensure progress. Actions could be as simple as free parking for EVs

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

In Regina, we need to find ways to bridge the implementation gap. This is a responsibility not just of the City of Regina, but all individuals & businesses in the city.
Each of us can ask, what we can do in our homes & businesses to clean up electricity & electrify transportation & heating?

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

At last week's Executive Council meeting, we learned that we are falling behind on many of the actions required to meet the 100% renewable energy & net-zero target by 2050. In the medium term (2025-27) 71% of the actions are at risk of failure or lagging behind. This includes electrifying buses.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

We asked about 9 policies and actions the City of Regina can take to meet the 2050 target. There is strong support for retrofitting city buildings, requiring new homes to be energy efficient, good urban planning, rapid transit, purchasing electric buses & separated bikeways

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

64.5% of Regina residents support a city-wide 100% renewable target. This figure shows responses to the question: To what extent do you support or oppose the City of Regina working to ensure that the entire city, including private buildings and vehicles, is powered by 100% renewable energy by 2050?

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

We asked "To what extent do you support or oppose the City of Regina working to power all of its buildings and vehicles using 100% renewable energy by 2050?" 67.3% of Regina residents support this target as shown in this figure.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Aug 25

What do Regina residents think about the city's 100% renewable energy target? The Regina Energy Futures Project ran a survey to find out. You can download a copy of the survey summary report at this link: bit.ly/4mSFxLk.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Jun 19

That was my follow-up question - would SK win? Sounds like you think it's a long-shot.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Jun 19

@molszyns.bsky.social Question for an environmental law expert: could the federal government call for a reference case on the 'Saskatchewan First Act' to test its constitutionality? The SK government is using the Act to claim jurisdiction over GHG regulation & justify operating coal plants past 2030

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Jun 18

Today's announcement is incredibly disappointing and unnecessary. There are other ways to give economic opportunities to the Estevan and Coronach areas that don't involve burning coal. Let's build a productive relationship with the federal government to ensure good jobs that also protect our climate

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Jun 18

This may make for good politics locally, but is incredibly unproductive for actually advancing the interests of Saskatchewan residents and Canadians.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Jun 18

Unproductive – It appeared that the provincial government and federal government were beginning to find common ground on many issues. This announcement sets Saskatchewan up for a hostile relationship with the federal government.

Brett Dolter @brettdolter.bsky.social · Jun 18

Continuing to burn fossil fuels, especially coal, which is the dirtiest method of generating electricity in the province, will continue to increase temperatures, leading to drier forests and soils, more fires, and reduced agricultural output. This is a crime against our children.