June 8, 2021 Recording – Public Funding for Fossil Fuels: From Part of the Problem to Part of the Solution

Webinar Notice (Pdf)
June 8, 2021 at 1:00pm EDT (GMT -0400)

Speakers:

• Vanessa Corkal
• Mitchell Beer

 Moderator:

• Rieky Stuart

Outline:

We will be discussing the nature and extent of funding from governments in Canada (federal and provincial) for fossil fuel production. Funding comes in different guises—including direct financing, loan insurance, subsidies and tax breaks. Our contention is that these various sources of financing should be identified and phased out as quickly as possible and reallocated to green technology and renewable energy.

Speakers:

Vanessa Corkal is a policy analyst with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, where she focuses on fossil fuel subsidies, just transition, and green recovery. She combines her expertise in climate change mitigation with over nine years of documentary, journalism and non-profit experience. Previous work experiences include climate change research, communications and project management for the Prairie Climate Centre (University of Winnipeg) and the First Nation Adapt program (Crown-Indigenous Relations & Northern Affairs, Government of Canada). She holds a Master of Climate Change from the University of Waterloo.

Mitchell Beer is Publisher of The Energy Mix, a thrice-weekly e-digest on climate change, energy, and a carbon-free future. He traces his work on renewable energy to 1977, on climate change to 1997, and gave a TEDx Ottawa talk in October 2019 on how to build wider public demand for rapid decarbonization. A proudest moment was building a model wind turbine out of wood stir sticks with his then-11-year-old daughter, and improv comedy practices are often the best part of his week.

Moderator

Rieky Stuart is a part-time consultant on organizational change and gender equality with UN organizations, governments and NGOs. Her last staff position was as Executive Director of Oxfam Canada, and she also worked as Deputy Director of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation and taught at St. Francis Xavier University’s Coady Institute. She has been a volunteer teacher, consultant and Board member, and is currently affiliated with Gender at Work and with Climate Legacy.

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