Environment and climate change represent some of the most difficult problems facing modern society. For two centuries fossil fuels have powered the rise of industrial civilization, bringing increased affluence and improved quality of life. They still provide 80% of the world’s energy as well as feedstocks for the manufacture of many products including steel, fertilizers, chemicals and plastics.
Today we understand that our energy systems — heavily reliant on fossil fuels — are having profound effects on our world including driving climate change, increasing pollution and contributing to deforestation, putting our future at risk. The quest to build a prosperous and equitable net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission economy in Canada has emerged as a fundamental task confronting this generation.
The Master of Public Policy in Sustainable Energy and the Environment prepares you to be a part of this crucial process by strengthening your background in the technical and political dimensions of energy problems and decision-making. Following an interdisciplinary approach, you will examine the engineering considerations, the economic implications and the policy instruments that affect the public and private choices around sustainable energy. By becoming conversant in these domains, you will be able to interpret and respond to energy issues holistically and to communicate effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
