Providing balanced, scientifically grounded information to communities, corporations and government on the environmental, social and economic impacts of sustainable energy sources including energy efficiency and renewable energy.Sustainable energy combines significant improvements in energy efficiency and conservation with a transition to low-impact renewable energy (RE) sources.

Sustainable energy offers a practical and effective way of meeting social and economic needs, while at the same time making deep reductions in greenhouse gases and other environmental pollutants that cause climate change and other negative environmental impacts on the air, land and water.

The Pembina Foundation supports research and education on sustainable energy as an important part of helping Canadians make a transition to a more sustainable world. Work supported through the foundation contributes to building awareness and understanding of sustainable energy options in order to enable Canadians to make informed, sustainable choices regarding the energy sources and services they use.

Program Highlights

Nuclear Lifecycle Impact Assessment

To inform public debate on the future role of nuclear energy in Canada and to facilitate comparisons of nuclear energy with other potential energy sources, the foundation is supporting research on the risks and environmental impacts of using nuclear energy for electricity generation in Canada. This research considers the risks and impacts of each of the four major stages of nuclear energy production:

• uranium mining and milling

• uranium refining, conversion and fuel fabrication

• nuclear power plant operation

• waste fuel management.

Research to date concludes that no other energy source combines the generation of a range of conventional pollutants and waste streams — including heavy metals, smog and acid rain precursors, and greenhouse gases — with the generation of extremely large volumes of radioactive wastes, that will require care and management over hundreds of thousands of years. The combination of these environmental challenges, along with security, accident and weapons proliferation risks that are simply not shared by any other energy source, place nuclear energy in a unique category relative to all other energy supply options.

The Pembina Institute has undertaken this work on behalf of the foundation. For a detailed description of the risks, impacts and sustainability of nuclear power in Canada, see the report, Nuclear Power in Canada. This report is available on the Pembina Institute's website, which is developed and maintained by the Pembina Institute.

For more information on the Nuclear Lifecycle Impact Assessment project, contact

Chris Severson-Baker
Policy Director
The Pembina Institute
Email: chrissb(at)pembina.org
Tel: 403-269-3344 ext. 101