Why Calgary’s new mayor wants to declare a ‘climate emergency’

Episode 125 of the Down to Business podcast

Alberta, where oil and gas remains the largest sector, has a huge transition ahead of it in the next two decades, as the effects of climate change become more pronounced and forecast demand for fossil fuels is expected to decline.

This week on Down to Business, Jyoti Gondek spoke about her path to becoming the first woman to be elected mayor of Calgary.

Gondek has said that one of her first acts after she takes office will be to declare a climate emergency. That’s a way of sending the message that the politics around Alberta’s energy transition are changing and that the city of Calgary is taking climate change seriously, she said.

She spoke about how she sees the provincial economy developing in the future, how to attract investors to the city’s burgeoning cleantech economy and the polarization around climate change and fossil fuels. As always, the interview was edited for clarity and brevity.

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