UCalgary hosts first IEAGHG Social Research Network in North America

The University of Calgary’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE) hosted the fourth Social Research Network event for the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas R&D Program (IEAGHG) on Jan. 14 and 15.

The event featured 23 technical presentations and covered a wide range of social science issues concerning reducing the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) resulting from energy generation, with a particular focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiatives.

“As a university that's committed to working on energy and its side-effects, I can't think of a better place than the University of Calgary for this meeting,” says Joe Arvai, professor and Svare Chair in Applied Decision Research, from the Department of Geography. “When people think of our institution, they often refer to the great work we’re doing in engineering, as well as the biophysical aspects of energy and carbon management. A meeting like this gives us a chance to also showcase the great work we're doing when it comes to the social and behavioural dimensions of energy and carbon management."

Topics addressed included setting the global context for CCS: what has changed, policies and practices in Canada, international trends, social science methodologies, communication strategies, risk perceptions, responses, as well as social science research related to transport and pipelines.

Valuable discussions were held at the end of each session to allow reflection on key learnings and also to look at patterns of work and identify any potential knowledge gaps.

“A key feature of this meeting is the opportunity to bring leading international social scientists researching the human element of addressing the challenge to decarbonise the world’s energy supply with a focus on CCS,” says event attendee and presenter Peta Ashworth, leader of the Science into Society Group at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

In total, 43 experts representing academia and industry attended the conference, with large local and U.S.-based contingents, plus many who travelled from as far away as Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, and South Africa.

“Bringing together international and interdisciplinary perspectives on energy challenges is critical to understanding energy choices and their implications for climate change,” says Prof. Edna Einsiedel from the Department of Communication and Culture.

The IEAGHG is an international collaborative research program established in 1991 as an implementing agreement under the International Energy Agency based in the UK.

The program aims to provide its members with definitive information on technology's role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a focus on CCS.

Each year, the IEAGHG hosts several international research networks, bringing together the expertise and experience of organizations at the forefront of research, development and demonstration into GHG mitigation technologies, including the Social Research Network – a network to improve the understanding of the processes required for deploying CCS projects.

“We were very happy to have our fourth meeting hosted by the University of Calgary’s ISEEE,” says Tim Dixon, technical program manager and manager of CCS and regulatory affairs at IEAGHG. “Many new results and experiences were presented and discussed, helping to move the knowledge base forward in this area.”

This marks the first time that the Social Research Network has been held in North America. Previous events were held in Paris, Japan and Australia. The event was supported by the University of Calgary and the Petroleum Technology Research Centre.