All around the world, scientists, researchers, advocates, and activists are calling for urgent action on climate change to avoid the dangers that it poses to the stability of our society. In response, governments and corporations have made pledges to commit to cleaner, more sustainable practices, reduce emissions, and begin transitioning toward a net zero future. 

However, we’re seeing a disconnect between the level of action required to mitigate and adapt to climate change and the actual efforts and policies in place to achieve those goals. This is commonly referred to as the Climate Action Gap.

To help illuminate the complexity of the Climate Action Gap, and discuss how we can ensure meaningful action is being taken on climate change, Cleantech Forward host Jeanette Jackson sits down with Justin Bull.

Together the two discuss 

• The complexity of the Climate Action Gap and the reasons behind why organizations are delay action;
• How we can ensure meaningful measures are being taken to mitigate and adapt to climate change; and
• Why it is so important that we take urgent action to address climate change

Justin Bull is an Adjunct Professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business, the Leader of the Sustainability and Ethics Group, and the Academic Director of the newly established Centre for Climate and Business Solutions. At UBC Justin teaches Sustainability, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Indigenous Relations to MBA students, undergraduates, and executive audiences. Justin has a BA in International Relations, and a PhD in Wood Science from the University of British Columbia.

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Canada has some of the most talented innovators in the world. Across the country, cleantech entrepreneurs are busy developing amazing solutions that can help us reach emissions targets, and transition to a net zero economy. Yet, many of those solutions won’t see the light of day. 

High operational costs, low rates of domestic adoption, and lack of access to funding are a few of the major challenges that prevent cleantech ventures from developing and deploying their products into the market. Which is where accelerators like Foresight step in. 

On this episode of Cleantech Forward, Foresight CEO Jeanette Jackson sits down with Heather Stephens of Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), an organization that provides funding for cleantech projects, and Ryan Bourns, the Business Strategy Development Manager at Carbon Upcycling Technologies, an Alberta-based CCUS company that has received funding from ERA. 

Together, the three discuss the challenges innovators face, the state of cleantech adoption in Canada, and why it’s so important that accelerators offer their services to Canadian entrepreneurs.

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Heather Stephens is ERA’s Chief Operating Officer. Heather has worked with ERA since inception and has played a key role in operating and growing the organization over the past 12 years. In her current role, Heather leads teams responsible for finance, project portfolio management, information technology, contract management, governance, and Human Resources. As a Chartered Professional Accountant, Heather brings her extensive background in audit and financial accounting with not-for-profit organizations, Government of Alberta agencies, as well as various private and public Canadian and International companies. Prior to joining ERA directly, Heather spent 20 years with the multi-national accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in both the Edmonton and London, UK offices, the last nine of which were primarily dedicated to helping establish and operate ERA (formerly Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation). Heather graduated from the University of Alberta with Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce degrees.

As Business Strategy Development Manager, Ryan Bourns is accountable for the commercialization of Carbon Upcycling’s proprietary technology. He plays a key role in the execution of the Company’s strategy and further development in the North American region. Throughout his four years with the Company, Ryan has taken part in several global initiatives, such as the Carbon XPRIZE challenge, as well as industry leadership through Minister Champagne’s working group on decarbonizing cement. Ryan is a University of Calgary alumni, holding a master in sustainable energy development. He also holds a bachelor of commerce from the University of Guelph.

Climate disasters are on the rise, and as these events rise in both frequency and severity, the fight against climate change is also becoming more and more urgent. Canada has a wealth of passionate, inspiring cleantech innovators who are working hard to develop, deploy, and scale technologies and solutions that will help Canada and the world eliminate emissions, waste, and achieve a net zero economy. 

However, many innovators in Canada struggle to secure capital, attract customers or industry partners, and deploy their solutions on the open market. Which is where accelerators like Foresight come in. Through mentorship, education, industry and investor connections, and networking events, our programs have supported more than 1,000 Canadian cleantech ventures which have generated more than $439 million in revenue, created nearly 8,000 jobs, and have raised more than $1.4 billion dollars in funding. 

On this episode of Cleantech Forward, Foresight CEO and host Jeanette Jackson is joined by Foresight Canada’s Senior Director of Market Transformation and the Senior Director of Cleantech with Social Innovation Canada, Barnabe Geis, and Cycle Momentum CEO Patrick Gagné. 

Together the three explore why these programs are indispensable for Canadian cleantech entrepreneurs, the driving forces behind cleantech acceleration in Canada, and what we can do to collectively accelerate cleantech adoption.

Barnabe is the Senior Director of Market Transformation with Foresight Canada. He works to develop programs and partnerships that remove barriers, leverage policy developments, and grow market opportunities to accelerate the adoption and scale up of clean technologies. He is also the Senior Director of Cleantech with Social Innovation Canada, where he works to advance the development and adoption of clean technologies through social innovation, education, research, partnerships, and ecosystem development. While with the Centre for Social Innovation, Barnabe founded, and was the Executive Director of, Climate Ventures, an organization that fast-tracked the success of early-stage entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders developing and implementing solutions to the climate crisis. 

Patrick Gagné is the CEO of Cycle Momentum, and a Board Member at Startup Montréal, as well as Zone Agtech. Patrick brings 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship and technology to his position as CEO, and has a thorough understanding of what businesses need in order to succeed. He has held positions with the Laval Smart Mobility Incubator and Accelerator, Startup Genome, and the InnoCité Montreal accelerator. Cycle Momentum offers entrepreneurs a specialized and personalized program of training workshops, networking sessions, and experienced mentors to help them develop and commercialize clean technologies and build globally competitive companies.

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