Just a few weeks into 2026, and we are facing some of the most significant geopolitical challenges since the Cold War era. Prime Minister Mark Carney stated, at the World Economic Forum, that “the old world order is dead.” 

This has become abundantly clear. Eight days into 2026, US forces abducted the Venezuelan President and installed (at the time of publication)  a regime willing to cooperate with President Donald Trump. Speculation has since swelled about how a future leader of the South American country will manage its oil reserves, the largest in the world, and what impact that might have on Canada’s exports of crude to the United States. 

There is a lot at stake for Canada, the US, and for China, which is currently the largest importer of oil from Venezuela. It will take months, if not years, for this crisis to sort itself out, and in the meantime, much of the world is moving forward with a transition away from petroleum as a primary fuel source. 

In this quagmire of competing egos and corporate/national interests, allow me to offer an alternative perspective on the future of energy by presenting you with the long-form edition of New Frontiers: A Guide to Alberta’s New Energy and Economic Power. 

Dispatches from a Petrostate 

Careful readers of these dispatches from the heart of the Alberta petrostate will know that New Frontiers has been in the works for more than a year as Environmental Defence Canada seeks to answer the often-asked but seldom-addressed question, “What steps does Alberta need to take to join the global energy transition?” 

We think New Frontiers is as close as we’ve come to providing a pragmatic yet urgent siren song for this cause. And while the release of a report on energy transition won’t make headlines the way the US Special Forces’ capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has, we hope you will see it as an essential step in advancing the goal of energy transition. 

Asking Hard Questions: Accepting Difficult Answers 

New Frontiers breaks down Alberta’s energy future, covering how Indigenous communities can lead the energy transition, ways to replace oil royalty income with “The Core Five” industries, the important roles of critical minerals and agriculture, and the need to update Alberta’s story to focus on our future rather than just our oil-rich past. 

The reality is that by 2030, the world will likely be consuming less oil every year, which would be financially disastrous for Alberta and for Canada, the way we are currently structured. Alberta’s economy is dangerously dependent upon petroleum for its provincial revenue, accounting for 27 per cent of revenue in 2025

We’re already far, far behind countries such as the United Kingdom, Finland, China, Sweden and Costa Rica – to name just a few – when it comes to building the infrastructure necessary to accommodate the electrification of our economy. 

What can we do? 

The first step is recognizing we have a problem – yes, even an addiction – to oil and gas, and that the world is sharply transitioning towards zero-carbon, cheaper energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal. 

Next, we need to decide what the new story of Alberta’s economy and society will be. The old story, one Albertans have embraced as everlasting, is that we’re a petroleum province whose wealth will somehow outlive the seismic shifts in the global economy, but that just doesn’t cut it anymore. 

Finally, within the context of that new narrative, Albertans must determine how to support the nation-leading standard of living we currently enjoy. Renewal of our agriculture sector – once responsible for a quarter of the GDP and jobs in the province – or the unleashing of the province’s currently hamstrung renewable energy industry are just two of the many options. 

Be it resolved: 2026 is the year energy transition gets real 

2026 will be a critical year to advance Alberta’s energy transition. Political decision makers on both sides of the provincial Legislature are gearing up for a rumoured early provincial election. Before that happens, the pragmatic lessons from New Frontiers must be presented to them as a viable option to the current dead-end pathway that oil and gas are leading us toward. 

I’m not much for making resolutions for myself, but if I could make one for the province’s political leaders (wouldn’t that be nice!) it would be this: In 2026 we’re going to pull our heads out of the oil sands and consider that the bountiful oil and gas wealth that has built a thriving province may soon be coming to an end. 

If we can keep that simple resolution, then it would be negligent not to consider how we will replace that dying industry to keep Alberta prosperous and thriving.