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Energy transitions in Indigenous, Northern and remote communities in Canada promise benefits that go beyond reliable, clean and affordable energy services. The Federal and Provincial governments have committed funding to get remote communities off diesel, acknowledging energy transitions' global and local benefits. Besides climate change mitigation, other benefits, including job creation, income generation, community ownership and local economic growth, are fundamental components of the value proposition of renewable energy projects. However, despite the promises, little evidence of the impacts of renewable energy on communities' local conditions exists. This article looks at the relationship between renewable energy projects and community well-being in Canada. We construct a panel of Indigenous communities and well-being levels using Census data and information about renewable energy projects for the period 1981–2016. The findings suggest that renewable energy is associated with higher levels of well-being. Concretely, having access to renewable energy increases overall well-being by 1 to 5 points on the 0–100 well-being scale, depending on the component of the well-being index considered in the analysis. • Renewable energy and community wellbeing is an essential relationship for successful energy transitions. • The size of the renewable energy projects is strongly associated with higher community wellbeing. • Communities that hold majority ownership of renewable energy projects exhibit higher wellbeing levels. • Solar and wind energy projects are associated with higher wellbeing levels, whereas hydropower is associated with lower ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global call to address climate change and advance sustainable development has created rapid growth in research, investment, and policymaking regarding the renewable energy transition of Indigenous communities. From a rightsholder perspective, Indigenous Peoples' vision of sustainability, autonomy, and sovereignty should guide research on their energy needs. In this paper, we present a multi-method, inductive examination to identify gaps between Indigenous communities' expressed needs and rights, and the questions researchers and policymakers investigate in energy transition research conducted in the context of Indigenous communities located in Canada. We combine a systematic review of the extant literature, a scoping review of the grey literature on off-grid communities by Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments and non-governmental policy bodies, qualitative primary data collected via fieldwork, and an in-depth study of an Indigenous-led renewable energy transition study conducted by Haíɫzaqv Nation's Climate Action Team. We holistically examine these different perspectives and identify emergent themes to recommend ways to bridge the gaps between off-grid renewable energy research and stated Indigenous community priorities. Specifically, we recommend designing equitable research practices, understanding community worldviews, developing holistic research goals, respecting Indigenous data sovereignty, and sharing or co-developing knowledge with communities to align with community priorities closely. • There is a research-practice gap in Indigenous communities' energy transitions. • We used a multi-method inquiry integrating Indigenous and Western approaches. • Renewable energy literature diverges from the Indigenous community vision and goals. • Indigenous research methods can reduce the research-practice gap in high-tech fields. • Community-based approaches can use traditional laws to yield actionable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Substitution factors for forest products for the Canadian context were developed. • Substitution factors ranging from 0.51 to 0.91 tC/tC were found. • They will lead to more accurate assessments of the forest GHG mitigation potential. • These factors will help governments to manage forest and fight climate change. Evaluating the climate change mitigation potential of the forest sector requires a holistic approach based on forest carbon (C) sequestration, C storage in harvested wood products (HWP) and substitution on markets. High uncertainty is associated with substitution factors, that express avoided fossil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the use of forest-based products in replacement of GHG-intensive materials and fossil fuels. Few studies have focused on the development of substitution factors in Canada, resulting in the use of unrepresentative generic data. Here, we provide a framework to reduce uncertainties related to substitution factors for primary wood products in a Canadian context. A life cycle assessment framework is used to quantify fossil GHG emissions for a baseline and a wood-intensive scenario. For solid product substitution, we focused on the construction sector and analyzed a range of innovative wood buildings with steel and reinforced concrete as alternative materials. We found non-weighted averages of 0.80 tC/tC for sawnwood and 0.81 tC/tC for panels. For energy substitution, we analyzed cases with different specifications on biomass product, facility type and alternative fossil fuel source in non-residential heat production and biofuel transportation sectors. We found a non-weighted average of 0.80 tC/tC for non-residential heat production and 0.51 tC/tC for biofuel transportation, that can be interpreted as 0.91 tC/tC for heavy fuel oil, 0.69 tC/tC for light fuel oil and 0.68 tC/tC for natural gas substitution. These results provide a benchmark for substitution factors in Canada, to help guide forest management strategies for climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Temperature was most important regulator of plant litter decay and retention of C in soil. • Precipitation plays an interactive role with temperature. • More than ½ of litter C was lost <1 yr and only about 5–12% remained after 8–10 yr. • Soil properties did not play a discernible role in these processes. • No-till slowed plant litter decay, but only initially in arid environments. Identifying the primary regulators of plant litter decay in agricultural soils is important for understanding ecosystem function now and for managing post-harvest litter in a warmer world. We conducted a litter decay study at 11 sites in Canada and New Zealand with diverse soils and climates. We incorporated 13C-labelled barley litter into the surface 10 cm of soil and monitored amount remaining over 8–10 years; at five sites litter was also applied to the soil surface to simulate no-tillage. Our objectives were to evaluate litter decay as influenced by soil type, tillage practice, and environmental conditions, and quantify the most important factors controlling C retention in soil. Loss of C via decomposition occurred quickly – more than half was lost within 1 year and only about 5–12% remained at the end of the experiment. A double exponential decay model, based on temperature and developed from the first 5 years of the study, accurately described litter decay, but only after re-tuning using measurements from the full experimental period. Including precipitation in the model further improved its fit. Soil properties exerted minimal discernible influence on the amount of litter C remaining, implying that properties such as the amount and surface area of clay minerals, were less important than climate in limiting litter decay or enhancing retention of C in soil. Comparison of litter application treatments showed that no-till slowed decay of plant litter, but only for a short time (∼1 yr) and only in environments with a mean annual precipitation of <1000 mm. These findings have implications for the role of soils in climate mitigation. If only 10% of added plant litter C remains in soil beyond a few years, regardless of climate, residue placement, or soil type, then rates of soil gain are limited without substantive increases in residue inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilities were studied in two agroforestry systems. • We studied hedgerow and shelterbelt systems and their component land-uses (cropland vs forest). • The biological stability of SOC was higher in hedgerow than in shelterbelt system. • The biological stability of SOC was higher in cropland than in forest land-use. • Agroforestry system by land-use interactively affected the thermal stability of SOC. Agroforestry systems play important roles in carbon (C) sequestration in western Canada. However, the effect of agroforestry system type and their component land-uses (forested area and cropland) on soil organic C (SOC) stability is poorly understood. We studied SOC stability in surface soils from two agroforestry systems (shelterbelt system and hedgerow system) and their component land-uses (forested area and cropland) in western Canada. A 61-day laboratory incubation was used to assess SOC biological stability, and compared to thermal stability measured during ramped combustion. The shelterbelt system had a lower biological stability than the hedgerow system as indicated by the higher cumulative soil respiration and SOC loss during incubation. Cumulative respiration and SOC loss during incubation in the forested area was 1.63 and 1.57 times that in the cropland, indicating a lower SOC biological stability in the former. Thermal stability indicators, CO 2 -T 50 (the temperature at which half of the CO 2 is produced), DSC-T 50 (the temperature at which half of the exothermic energy of the SOC is released) and ROI (return on energy investment) were influenced by the interactive effects of the agroforestry system by land-use, while TG-T 50 (the temperature at which half of the exothermic mass is lost) and Ed (energy density) were influenced by land-use and the interactive effects of agroforestry system by land-use. Hedgerow cropland had a higher SOC thermal stability (higher TG-T 50) than the hedgerow forested area, while there was no difference among shelterbelt cropland, and the forested areas of shelterbelt and hedgerow system. We conclude that planting trees on agricultural land to form agroforestry systems alters SOC biological and thermal stabilities, and the hedgerow system may have a more stable SOC than the shelterbelt system, thus, maintaining the hedgerow system may enhance C stability, promote C sequestration and climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved land stewardship is necessary for climate change mitigation. As such, actions are needed to increase carbon (C) sinks and reduce C emissions from land use activities. Residual materials with fertilizing capacity can be used to reconstruct severely degraded soils and recreate a sustainable vegetation cover, leading to reductions in atmospheric CO 2 levels. We studied the temporal dynamics of CO 2 sequestration potential in soils reconstructed with 1200 Mg ha−1 biosolids along a young chronosequence ranging from 0 to 7 years after initiating reclamation of a decommissioned asbestos mine in southern Québec, Canada. We measured in situ soil CO 2 fluxes, soil C pools and soil physicochemical properties. Since bacterial communities are highly responsive to soil physicochemical properties, we also analyzed both their diversity and community structure. The age since soil reclamation did not have a clear effect on soil properties, but it exerted greater control over soil C fluxes and soil bacterial community diversity and structure. Our results suggest large C fluxes to the atmosphere within the first year following soil reconstruction, but soils constitute a stable C pool thereafter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever-increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide make it quite challenging to meet country-specific Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets. Therefore, it is evident that the existing emissions abatement measures need to be taken a step further. Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) are allowed in Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement as a cooperative approach to achieving NDC goals. There is a potential to create ITMOs between Canada and China by replacing coal use in China with British Columbia (BC)'s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply. Replacing coal with LNG in energy generation applications is a promising approach to mitigate emissions. With global and national pressures to reduce emissions, China has created a market for LNG imports to cater to its rising natural gas (NG) consumption due to the coal-to-gas source switching strategy. However, the terms under Article 6.2 requires generated ITMOs to ensure environmental integrity, support sustainable development goals, and have a robust accounting system. Therefore, the current study aims to quantify the life cycle environmental outcomes of generating ITMOs by exporting LNG from BC to Chinese end-users while integrating uncertainties and to provide policy recommendations in adherence with the requirements of Article 6.2. Different LNG export scenarios were generated in the study and environmental impacts of each scenario were assessed and compared using a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework developed by the authors. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were conducted to understand the impacts created by the data uncertainties in the final result. By replacing conventional coal with NG, approximately 40–45% and 26%–32% emissions reductions can be obtainable for Chinese textile and chemical industries, respectively. The highest emissions reduction of approximately 60% was observed when coal is replaced with NG for district heating. The life cycle emissions (LCE) quantification framework provided in the study provides stakeholders with a systematic approach to determine the total GHG emissions and emissions reduction potential of different LNG export scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]