Sustainable development

A leading economics expert was asked his opinion regarding the best combination of ways to meet Quebec's medium and long-term energy needs in a sustainable manner while minimizing costs for Quebec society and the competitiveness of Quebec's economy. He was asked which mechanisms can be used to fulfill environmental objectives regarding energy source development and the most effective way to minimize greenhouse gases and other environmental impacts. This paper presents his opinion and notes that environmental issues are dominating energy strategies. The role of the Kyoto Protocol in addressing these challenges was discussed along with the challenge of energy supply shortages on the American west coast, the high demand of energy in Quebec and the low level of rainfall in the past several years. All these challenges have contributed to the public debate on energy supplies and security. This document focuses on electricity production while maintaining sustainable development requirements, particularly minimizing greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity production. Several strategies to reduce greenhouse gases were presented. 20 refs., 1 fig