Professor Daniel Rosenbloom Secures $74,820 in SSHRC Funding!

Professor Daniel Rosenbloom awarded $74,820 from SSHRC to launch project on “Electrification contestation: overcoming resistance to net-zero transitions”

Governments around the world, including Canada, have committed to achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century. But despite the growing consensus on the centrality of electrification to this goal, switching energy end-uses like heating and transport from fossil fuels to electricity continues to face significant resistance. A new research project led by Dr. Daniel Rosenbloom, in collaboration with Alexandra Mallett (Carleton University), Maya Jegen (Université du Québec à Montréal), and Luis D. Virla (University of Calgary), has been awarded $74,820 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to investigate the sources of this resistance.

The project brings together a national team of energy and transition scholars to analyze how actors have responded to climate and energy policy consultations since Canada adopted its Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act in 2021. By examining public submissions across Ontario, Alberta, and Québec — provinces with distinct energy profiles and political contexts — the study will trace patterns of resistance based on themes like economic competitiveness, technological feasibility, and affordability. It will also explore which technologies, such as heat pumps, are most frequently contested.

Building on the multi-dimensional discursive approach developed by Dr. Rosenbloom, the team will map resistance to electrification to better understand how, where, and why it arises. The goal is to inform policymakers, regulators, and civil society on how to address competing interests and capitalize on points of alignment. In doing so, the project will shed light on overcoming resistance to transitions and provide tools to accelerate Canada’s path to net-zero.