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GHG REDUCTION BENEFITS
As previously mentioned, fossil fuel use is the prime contributor to four major atmospheric problems:
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Climate Change
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Smog
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Acid Rain
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Mercury Emissions
Reducing the use of fossil fuels addresses each of these four problems. There are however a number of other equally important reasons to reduce fossil fuel use.
The Exploration, Extraction, Transportation & Storage of Fossil Fuels Causes Damage to Wildlife Habitat and Human Health
 Many environmental impacts are attributed to fossil fuel supply. Acid mine drainage involves the leakage of acidic water from coal mines or mine tailings.
 Oil tanker leakage and spills damage marine and shoreline eco-systems. Oil and gas pipeline corridors may fragment natural habitats, and may permit access to previously undisturbed wilderness.
Save Money
The use of fossil fuel can involve expenditure, and the fossil fuel industry in itself is a significant consumer of energy. In 2001, a total of $2.4 billion (before taxes) was spent by industry and consumers in Atlantic Canada to purchase electricity alone. There are many examples where conservation measures (fuel efficient cars, R2000 home, etc.) saves both fuel and money.
 Economic & Employment Benefits
While some people may believe that our economy will suffer if we pursue energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, such as windmills, the reality is that much of the money that Atlantic Canadians spend on fossil fuels immediately leaves the Region. In consequence, this provides little financial benefit to the local economy.
As an example, estimates indicate that for every dollar spent on biomass fuel, very roughly 70¢ stays in the local economy, compared to 10¢ for every dollar spent on oil.
Far more local jobs are created by energy efficiency and low impact renewable energy than conventional energy supply. On average, a million dollar investment has been estimated to create over 35 person years of employment if invested in energy efficiency, 12 person years of employment if invested in renewable energy, but only 7 person years of employment if invested in conventional energy supply.
Denmark is an example of a country that has aggressively pursued a newly emerging industry, namely wind energy, and has benefited greatly in terms of job creation. Sales of Danish wind turbines in 2002 were over 3 billion Euros, or roughly $4.5 billion Canadian. The manufacturing of wind turbines and operating wind farms is a major industry that employs 21,000 people in Denmark.
Security of Our Energy Supply
Because we are so dependent on foreign-based and Canadian fossil fuels, even brief interruptions in fuel supplies cause economic challenges. Examples include: supply interruptions from the Middle East (1973 Arab oil embargo); and unstable markets and consequent gas price gouging and speculation (following Hurricane Katrina in US). Reducing our consumption of fossils fuels would lessen our dependence on unstable supplies and market commodity volatility, and minimize environmental degradation.
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