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By Deidra Garyk
PART II (Read Part I Here)
A non-energy story that is directly related to energy and does not seem to be waning in interest is AI and data centres. The stock valuations for companies that are AI-adjacent are record-setting with no cap in sight, for now. It seems that no amount of money is too much to throw at generative AI.
We all know that data centres have created unprecedented demand for reliable, affordable electricity to keep humming along, so I won’t get into that. (You can read my carousel summary of data centre expansion and electricity usage in Alberta here.) What I think is noteworthy for oil and gas advocates are the outputs that AI tools give. Some of it can be extremely useful, like the research I used to write these articles, but skepticism and critical thinking are still required.
I asked AI (Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT) for a summary of energy news for the year, and the anti-hydrocarbon bias was palpable, especially with Copilot. It included links to agenda-driven, tendentious ENGOs like Environmental Defence or far-left news sources. It’s a reminder that we must question the outputs of this tool. A refined prompt resulted in a better response – sometimes you have to exchange words with AI.
Comments like, “EV sales surged 32% globally, signaling continued pressure on oil demand” make it sound like oil is going the way of the dodo bird, yet it linked to a story for 2024. In fact, much of Copilot’s summary of top news events in 2025 came from this outdated 2024 article.
The reality of EV uptake is that it is geographically concentrated in Europe and China where government policies and subsidies massively prop up sales, while other parts of the world are seeing demand stall as the market matures.
Copilot convincingly claimed, “Clean Energy Growth: Renewables accounted for 46% of global installed power capacity, with record additions of 585 GW in 2024.” Yet, the very next bullet point was “Fossil Fuels Persist: Despite renewable gains, fossil fuel use still grew slightly due to rising global energy demand, underscoring the complexity of the transition.” Bubble officially burst.
Even more problematic are articles written by AI. This one by AI Agent Phillip Carter claims, “Canada’s energy landscape in 2025 is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by policy innovation, private-sector ambition, and a global pivot toward clean energy. As the world transitions to net-zero economies, Canada is emerging not just as a participant but as a strategic leader in renewable energy growth and decarbonization.”
I guess AI Agent Phillip Carter didn’t get the memo that many countries have pulled back on their net zero ambitions and there’s more public acknowledgement that we are not in a full-on energy transition.
“He” even touts Canada as, “emerging as a global hub for blue hydrogen (hydrogen produced from natural gas with carbon capture).” Source, please?
At least Copilot referenced an actual industry association report from Enserva: Canadian upstream spending fell 5.6% in 2025, with drilling activity down 9% amid low oil and gas prices and US tariffs.
As AI adoption grows, its influence on culture and education will increase and that will impact policy preferences, highlighting why truth and oil and gas advocacy remain important.
CANADA’S INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE ROLE – COP30: “THE COP OF TRUTH”
Canada continued its participatory role at COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November. Although, COP’s credibility has been seriously called into question after Brazil cut down trees to build a paved, 13 KM highway through the precious rainforest that we’ve been fighting to protect since I was a kid. While touted as a modernization project, its purpose was to ensure that COP attendees could travel in comfort between the airport and the host city. (Who else sacrificed part of their tiny childhood savings to “save the rainforest”?)
Yet, so desperate are the activists to hold onto the narrative that they wrote a “Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change.” The signatories believe the Declaration is necessary because they are: “[c]oncerned by the growing impact of disinformation, misinformation, denialism, deliberate attacks on environmental journalists, defenders, scientists, researchers and other public voices and other tactics used to undermine the integrity of information on climate change, which diminish public understanding, delay urgent action, and threaten the global climate response and societal stability.”
While information integrity sounds good, if we can’t challenge “consensus” by discussing and debating important topics, then we have censorship. It doesn’t usually end where it begins, though, leading me to wonder what other topics will become verboten.
In addition to signing the Declaration, at COP30, Canada committed to join the Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets, with aims to increase the demand for high-quality carbon credits and increase private financing of emissions reductions.
The government also restated plans to strengthen industrial methane regulations and reaffirmed its shared commitment to human rights and gender-responsive climate policies. An official accounting of Canada’s commitments can be found here.
Despite pressure from over 80 countries and a pledge to mobilize $1.3 trillion per year for climate action by 2035, there was no formal agreement to phase out fossil fuels, a major disappointment for climate advocates. But perhaps a quiet acknowledgement of the realities of energy demand.
There’s a general shift towards an outward expression of realism and sanity. More people are finding the courage to talk about the shades of grey inherent in every complex, complicated topic; none more so than climate and energy.
Those that are agenda-driven to only see the world in black and white are losing their credibility and influence. A healthy dose of realism will help ensure that we focus on the right solutions for the problems of our time and not undermine the present for an unknown, unpredictable future.
Over 20 years in the Canadian energy sector, Deidra held key roles, where she focused on a broad range of initiatives, from sustainability reporting to fostering collaboration among industry stakeholders through her work in joint venture contracts.
Outside of her professional commitments, Deidra is an energy advocate and a recognized thought leader. She is passionate about promoting balanced, fact-based discussions on energy policy, and sustainability. Through her research, writing, and public speaking, Deidra seeks to advance a more informed and pragmatic dialogue on the future of energy.
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