Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development Strategy 1997

Safeguarding our Assets, Securing our Future

Goal 3 – Maintaining a Healthy and Safe Environment

The environment is subject to ongoing change - sometimes as a result
of natural processes, and sometimes due to human activity. Resource development
and use has implications for the environment. NRCan has a significant
role to play in ensuring that Canadians have a healthy and safe environment
in which to live, work and play - in particular, with regards to climate
change.

Significant commitments towards this goal included energy efficiency
initiatives, and actions to advance our understanding of the climate change
challenge, and ways to address it. Included among many others was the
Energy Technology Futures (ETF) project. The ETF project developed a set
of technology outlooks and held creative workshops and meetings with approximately
800 experts form industry, universities, government and research institutes
in Canada, the United States and Europe. From these results, the ETF team
has produced four plausible and distinct scenarios of what Canada's
energy technology system could be three to five decades into the future,
to assist in policy and decision-making. Continued work of the ETF program
to be undertaken as part of SDS - Now and
for the Future will provide advice to departmental research and
development investments to drive Canada's long-term sustainable development
objectives and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

NRCan laid the groundwork for a Canadian Resource Recovery Strategy,
by consulting with key stakeholders to explore means for enhancing Canadian
recycling efforts and to identify a federal government role in a national
strategy. NRCan will continue these efforts by implementing a Canada-wide
initiative to increase the efficiency of materials recovery and recycling.
For more information on the Canadian Resource Recovery Strategy, click
here.

For a printable version of this goal including objectives and performance
indicators, click here.