REPORTS & TECHNICAL PAPERS
Pre-budget recommendations to accelerate the development of Canada’s geothermal industry
Geothermal Energy Office
CI-GEO staff
In response to the Government of Canada’s Fall pre-budget consultations, the Cascade Institute submitted three specific recommendations to accelerate the development of Canada’s geothermal industry.
Protecting Permafrost: Addressing the climate threat of Arctic thaw
Permafrost carbon program
Ian Graham
A report assessing the climate threat of Arctic permafrost thaw, potential interventions to address it, and related policy recommendations.
Artificial Intelligence and Energy Innovation: Submission to NRCAN
Geothermal Energy Office
CI-GEO staff
The Cascade Institute submitted a brief to NRCAN highlighting opportunities and examples of current use of various types of AI in various stages of geothermal power development, including in resource characterization, site selection, drilling, reservoir creation, and operations. Applying AI to geothermal energy can unlock an abundant source of clean, secure, baseload electricity needed to power AI itself. This opens the door to a virtuous cycle akin to the steam engine and coal that sparked the industrial revolution.
National Service to Support Community and National Security: A preliminary outline of components, implementation, and costs
Democracy program
David Last
A policy brief prepared for the Office of the Prime Minister for the development of a National Service initiative.
Groundwork: Regulatory guidelines for making Canada a geothermal powerhouse
Ultradeep Geothermal program
Emily Smejkal, Princess Sharlynne Cosalan, Stephanie Rose Cortinovis
A report identifying best practices to help Canadian provinces establish effective geothermal regulations and make Canada a global clean energy leader.
AOSTRA: A model for funding geothermal innovation
Ultradeep Geothermal program
Emily Smejkal, Peter Massie, Leighton Gall
A case study of the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) as a model for kickstarting geothermal innovation.
Defending Canada’s Democracy: A strategic framework
Democracy program
Cascade Institute fellows and staff
An analysis of the forces destabilizing Canada's democracy and a framework for building the country’s economic and social resilience.
Prospecting for Superhot Rock Energy
Rebecca Pearce et al.
A technology gap analysis for siting and characterizing superhot rock energy resources.
Entangled Climate Risks: Interactions between permafrost thaw and wildfires
Lina Madaj
An exploration of the relationship between wildfires, permafrost thaw, and permafrost carbon feedback in the context of accelerating climate change.
Catastrophic Dehumanization: A formal model
Polycrisis program
Thomas Homer-Dixon
A formal model that seeks to explain the causal mechanisms of sudden dehumanization in situations of extreme conflict.
Impact 2024: How Donald Trump’s reelection could amplify global inter-systemic risk
Thomas Homer-Dixon, Michael Lawrence, Megan Shipman, Luke Kemp
A report assessing how a second Trump administration could supercharge global political, economic, geopolitical, environmental, and pandemic risks and how those risks could combine to exacerbate the global polycrisis.
Drilling for Superhot Geothermal Energy: A technology gap analysis
Rebecca Pearce, Tony Pink
A report that reviews state-of-the-art deep geothermal drilling and well-construction technologies, identifies existing technology gaps, and suggests strategies to overcome these gaps.
Ultradeep Geothermal Research and Action Roadmap
Leighton Gall, Dave Lovekin, Rebecca Pearce, Emily Smejkal
A roadmap outlining a plan to advance ultradeep geothermal power to commercial operation in Canada.
Polycrisis Research and Action Roadmap
Michael Lawrence, Megan Shipman, Scott Janzwood, Constantin Arnscheidt, Jonathan Donges, Thomas Homer-Dixon, Christian Otto, Pia-Johanna Schweizer, Nico Wunderling
This report offers a concise yet comprehensive snapshot of the emerging field of polycrisis analysis, including gaps, opportunities, and potential priorities.
Positive Pathways through Polycrisis
Michael Lawrence and Megan Shipman
A report exploring how polycrisis analysis can help us navigate through polycrisis and pursue "positive pathways" to better futures.
Causal Loop Diagrams Handbook
A handbook explaining how to read and draw a causal loop diagram, a systems-mapping technique for thinking through our mental model of a system and communicating our knowledge to others.
Introduction to Polycrisis Analysis
Michael Lawrence, Megan Shipman, and Thomas Homer-Dixon
An introduction to Cascade Institute’s framework for polycrisis analysis, intended to help governments, firms, and communities assess global risks and respond to emerging threats more effectively.
Global polycrisis: The causal mechanisms of crisis entanglement
Michael Lawrence, Thomas Homer-Dixon, Scott Janzwood, Johan Rockström, Ortwin Renn, and Jonathan F. Donges
A peer-reviewed paper, published in Cambridge University Press's Global Sustainability journal, which defines the concept of global polycrisis and provides a theoretical framework to explain causal mechanisms currently entangling many of the world’s crises.
What is a global polycrisis?
Michael Lawrence, Scott Janzwood, and Thomas Homer-Dixon
A discussion paper that argues that the concept of “global polycrisis” provides a useful framework with which to understand and address major problems afflicting humanity today.
