A call for community governance: wind energy implementation in Alberta through strategic environmental policymaking

Abstract

The transition towards green energy systems is a highly debated topic. While Canada promises sustainable changes to ensure climate change targets are reached, such efforts are not transpiring on the provincial level. This paper analyzes the difficulties of Alberta’s acceptance of wind energy, a strong contender for a green energy alternative, and possible solutions through community governance and strategic environmental policymaking. I provide two research questions that ask for an explanation of the resistance to wind energy in Alberta and what the opportunities are for community governance. To answer these questions, I present governance and ideology as obstacles to successful wind energy implementation. These factors possess fundamental and deeply-rooted origins. While policy efforts have been made to reduce carbon emissions, the general lack of acceptance of wind energy has created a province in stagnation - unable and unwilling to change amidst the federal and global appeals. By analyzing secondary literature, a governance typology, and a comparative policy analysis, this paper illustrates the benefits of a community governance, and community renewable energy (RE) by extension, for renewable energy implementation in contentious regions. Community governance presents a potential answer through policymaking methods that focus on citizens’ participation and collaboration. The results of this paper argue that the governance and ideology challenges constraining renewable energy in Alberta can partly be addressed through community governance and strategic environmental policymaking. From this, this paper urges the necessity of approaching climate change mitigation through adaptive approaches.