By Chris Tindal

David Hughes, a senior geoscientist at Natural Resources Canada, is to energy security as David Suzuki is to the environment or Al Gore is to Global Warming. The fact that he has yet to receive the same level of attention is an unfortunate oversight, since our energy security (or lack thereof) is an increasingly urgent issue that we must learn more about and begin to address.
Mr. Hughes’ message regarding dwindling energy supplies is simple, blunt, and alarming. “If we do not manage an 80% reduction in fossil fuel energy consumption,” he told Post Carbon Toronto during a meeting this past summer, “we will have a 90% one forced on us.”
His evolving analysis of global and North American energy issues has been presented across Canada and the United States to federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Petroleum Council, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Industry Canada, and the National Research Council. This week, he’s in Toronto for two separate events on Tuesday (when he’ll give his presentation) and Wednesday (when he’ll be joined on a panel by Ralph Torrie of ICF and Cherise Burda of Pembina Institute).
Tuesday, September 11
Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Council Chambers
7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 12 (Panel Discussion)
Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Committee room 4
7:00 p.m.
Photo by moonwire from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.