CIC Energy Division to launch at 57th CSChE conference.

Under the umbrella of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC), the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) is leading the initiative to establish an Energy Division. This is particularly important at a time when Canada's energy future holds much promise as well as many challenges. Energy themes have long been a part of CSChE annual conferences, and so the establishment of an Energy Division gives a formal structure to an emphasis that has been growing for some time. With members across government, industry, and academia, the CIC and its constituent bodies are well positioned to play a role in the dissemination of energy research, in technology assessment and in policy development.

It is hoped that the Division will appeal broadly to members involved in the full range of energy themes from cleaner fossil fuels, next generation nuclear, to alternative fuels and energy efficiency. The Division's mandate will be to address any facet of energy in which chemists, chemical engineers, and chemical technologists play an important role. This means that energy conservation and sustainability in chemical plants will also be a focus, in view of the greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as well as criteria air contaminant (NOx, SOx, VOC, PM) caps that will be expected of industry by the Federal Clean Air Act.

This is a broad mandate for the Energy Division. The underlying reasons for bringing members of diverse backgrounds together are the common interest in environmental sustainability and the concern that greenhouse gases (GHGs) are a major factor causing climate change. Canada's contribution to the overall global GHG emissions is small, but on a percapita basis, Canada appears to be a serious offender with carbon emissions of 4.88 metric tons per person, compared to the average Western European rate of 2.05, and 0.66 for Latin America (2003).

Some of this has to do with the cost of heating our homes and institutions in winter, and of moving people and goods across our country. From 1990 to 2005, C[O.sub.2] emissions attributed to the transportation sector increased by 33 percent, while those for institutional and residential use rose by 38 percent overall as the Canadian population increased by 16 percent. These factors are beyond the mandate of the CIC, although it might be said that chemists made a contribution to population planning a few decades ago.

One important reason for high GHG emissions, which decidedly fits within the CIC's mandate, is the resource-based and energy-intensive nature of the Canadian economy. GHG emissions by industry account for about 33 percent, and the fossil fuels industries account for another 17 percent, for a total of 47 percent of the Canadian total of 747 Mt. In recent years, much of this has been driven by the export-driven fossil fuels industry, which from 1990 to 2005 increased emissions by 46 percent, including fugitive emissions. If energy exports are to continue, and if Canadian governments intend in the long run to enforce real absolute decreases in GHG emissions, then a strategy for offsetting contributions from alternative energy sources and industrial conservation needs to be developed. Clearly we hope for solutions that improve on the pulp and paper model, where emissions were cut by 46 percent through plant closures. It is here that the CIC and its members will make their strongest contribution. Through collaborations in research and development among its members, drawn from industry, academia, and government, the CIC hopes to play an increased role in the dissemination of energy research, in technology assessment, and in policy development that will address issues of human health, environmental footprint, and economic prosperity.

The Energy Division will be formally launched at the CSChE's 57th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference in Edmonton, AB, October 28 to 31, 2007. We invite you to visit www.csche2007.ca and to join us in Edmonton, AB.

Allan F. Gilbert, CSChE director of subject divisions, 2005-2007

Milena Sejnoha, CSChE vice-president, 2006-2007