Generation Energy Youth Voices Report
By Meredith Adler
This fall, Natural Resources Canada embarked upon Generation Energy, a series of public consultations that culminated in a forum – working to define the vision for the future of Canada’s energy system. Obviously, when we’re talking the future of energy Student Energy knows the youth voice should be front and center because the energy future is what defines our future. With support from NRCAN, we did just that, gathering youth from across the country to host dialogues in their communities and collectively create the Youth Voices Report – a pan-Canadian vision of what young people expect for the future of our energy system.
With close to 300 young people from 11 provinces and territories contributing, and over 7,000 Canadians participating online, the 2017 Youth Voices Report is a cohesive declaration of what the next generation of Canadians believe we need to achieve a sustainable energy future. Canada’s youth have come together to reach a consensus on what steps the country should take to achieve this sustainable future, and how young people want to contribute to solutions.
The objectives are clear. By 2050 young people want Canada to: have a zero-carbon thriving economy, be a world leader in clean technology, have depoliticized, collaborative energy governance, and operate an equitable decolonized energy system that provides equal opportunities to all Canadians without negatively impacting our environment.
Young Canadians know that our sustainable energy future will not happen overnight, and we will need to work hard to ensure there is a just transition that provides Canadians with economic security and an enthusiastic outlook for the future ahead.
Young Canadians are ready and willing to work with the generations that have come before us, as the engines of innovation who will deliver on our energy future. We know that Pan-Canadian collaboration is the only way to overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities we face in undertaking this rapid transition.
Download the report from the link below to hear what youth across Canada have to say about our energy future and how we work towards these ambitious energy goals.