HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA – If technological innovation holds the key to easing the threat of global climate change, Canada’s government and private tech sector believe they have some of the answers.
Despite a population that is less than one-eighth that of the United States, Canadian firms have for the past two years been named company of the year in a survey of North American companies by Cleantech Group, a San Francisco-based consultancy promoting technological solutions to global warming.
While rating the United States as first in the field overall, the consultancy — which issues an annual Global Cleantech Innovation Index — places Canada in second place worldwide, slightly ahead of Germany. China appears in the list’s top 10, as does Slovenia, one of several Eastern European countries excelling in several tech measures.
Clean technology a focus for Canada
What’s good for the global climate is also good for the national economy, according to Yara El Helou, a media relations adviser at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, a government agency that funds clean technology — or cleantech — projects.
The federal government seeks to make Canada “the most competitive country in the world for clean technology companies,” El Helou told VOA. “We’ve made a series of major investments since 2016 in clean technology research, development, demonstration and adoption, and support to accelerate the growth of clean technology companies including…
