E. Earth and Space Systems · Heat in the Environment

Renewable and Non-renewable Energy: Weighing the Impacts

E1.2 A1.1 A1.5 A3.3About 55 minutes

Learning goals

I can classify energy sources as renewable or non-renewable.
I can analyse the social, economic and environmental impacts of different energy sources, including their effects on climate change.
I can describe how Ontario makes its electricity and how that has changed.
I can describe First Nations perspectives and projects related to energy, and use a decision matrix to compare options.

Words to know

renewable energy source
A source that is naturally replaced in a human lifetime, such as sunlight, wind, flowing water, geothermal heat and biomass that is regrown.

non-renewable energy source
A source that cannot be replaced in a human lifetime once used, such as coal, oil, natural gas and uranium.

social impact
An effect on people and communities: health, safety, jobs, ways of life.

economic impact
An effect on money: costs, prices, jobs and businesses.

environmental impact
An effect on the land, water, air, living things and climate.

biomass
Plant or animal material, such as wood or crop waste, used as fuel.

decision matrix
A table that scores several options against the same criteria to help make a fair decision.

Remember from Grades 5 and 6

In Grade 5 you sorted energy sources into renewable and non-renewable. In Grade 6 you looked at how electricity is made in Canada and its impacts. Now you will analyse the impacts more deeply, from social, economic and environmental points of view, including climate change, and practise weighing them to make a decision.

No perfect energy source

Every way of getting energy has benefits and costs. A good decision looks at all of them, and at who gains and who pays. Energy is used to make electricity, to heat buildings and to power transportation.

Energy source	Type	Benefits	Drawbacks
Coal, oil, natural gas (fossil fuels)	non-renewable	available any time of day; existing pipelines, cars and furnaces use them; many jobs	release CO₂ (climate change); air pollution and smog harm health; spills and leaks; prices can jump
Nuclear (uranium)	non-renewable	very low greenhouse gas emissions while running; steady power day and night; many Ontario jobs	radioactive waste must be stored safely for a very long time; very expensive to build; uranium mining affects land
Hydroelectric (moving water)	renewable	very low emissions; reliable; reservoirs store energy	dams flood land and change rivers and fish habitat; some past dams flooded First Nations lands
Wind	renewable	no fuel cost; no emissions while running; landowners can earn rent	works only when the wind blows; can affect birds and bats; some neighbours object to noise and views
Solar	renewable	no fuel cost; panels on rooftops; no emissions while running	works only in daylight, less in winter; panels need materials and recycling
Geothermal heat pumps	renewable	use the ground's steady temperature to heat and cool buildings efficiently	high cost to install; need room to drill or dig
Biomass (wood, crop waste)	renewable if regrown	can use waste materials; available on demand	burning releases CO₂ and smoke; forests must be managed so they regrow

Comparing energy sources. Benefits and drawbacks depend on how and where each one is used.

Sorting the energy sources from the table. Renewable sources are replaced naturally; non-renewable ones, including uranium, exist in limited amounts.

Electricity in Ontario

Most of Ontario's electricity comes from nuclear stations and hydroelectric stations. Natural gas, wind and solar provide much of the rest. Ontario stopped using coal to make electricity in 2014. This cut greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from power plants.

But electricity is only part of the story. Most Ontario homes are heated with natural gas, and most vehicles burn gasoline or diesel. Switching heating and transportation to low-emission electricity (heat pumps, electric vehicles) would cut emissions further, but it means Ontario will need more electricity in the future. Deciding where that electricity should come from involves all three kinds of impacts.

Water rushing through the gates of a concrete hydroelectric dam on a forested river. — Hydroelectric stations like this make much of Ontario's electricity. They are renewable and release few emissions, but dams flood land and change river habitats. AI-generated image

First Nations perspectives and leadership (A3.3)

Many First Nations teach that people have a responsibility to care for the land, water and air for future generations. The Haudenosaunee teaching of considering the effects of decisions on the seventh generation to come is often used to think about long-term impacts like climate change.
Some remote First Nations in northern Ontario are not connected to the provincial power grid. Many have relied on diesel generators, with fuel flown in or brought by winter roads. Diesel is expensive, causes pollution and greenhouse gases, and limits how much electricity a community can use.
First Nations are leading changes. Wataynikaneyap Power, a transmission company majority-owned by 24 First Nations, has built power lines that, by 2026, connected 16 remote First Nations communities to the provincial grid, with one more community planned. Many First Nations across Ontario also own or co-own solar, wind and hydro projects, which bring income and jobs to their communities.
Past energy projects did not always respect Indigenous rights. Some large dams flooded land where First Nations hunted, fished and lived. Today, many projects are planned in partnership with Indigenous communities.

Worked example

Let's use a decision matrix

A remote community uses diesel generators. It is considering adding a large solar farm with batteries. Score each option from 1 (poor) to 3 (good) on four criteria and decide.

Criteria: greenhouse gas emissions (environmental), local air quality and health (social), cost of fuel over 20 years (economic), reliability in a northern winter.
Diesel only: emissions 1, air quality 1, fuel cost 1 (fuel must be flown or trucked in), reliability 3. Total: 6.
Diesel + solar and batteries: emissions 2 (less diesel burned), air quality 2, fuel cost 3 (sunlight is free after building), reliability 3 (diesel is still there as a backup for dark winter days). Total: 10.
Think about what the scores leave out: the solar farm costs a lot to build at first, and community members' own priorities and knowledge of the land should shape the decision.

Diesel + solar and batteries scores higher (10 vs 6). A matrix helps organize evidence, but the people affected should help choose the criteria and make the decision.

The decision-matrix scores as stacked bars. Each segment is one criterion (1 = poor, 3 = good). Diesel + solar gets more points for emissions, air quality and fuel cost, and ties on reliability.

Just for fun

Why did the wind turbine win the dance contest?

It had the best spins in town... but only when the wind showed up.

Hands-on activity

Energy source research and debate (A1.1)

You need: paper, a pencil, and a device for research with a grown-up's permission (or library books).

Choose two energy sources from the table, one renewable and one non-renewable.
Research each one. Use at least two reliable sources, such as the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the IESO (which runs Ontario's electricity system), or a science centre. Write down where each fact came from.
Organize your findings in a table with three columns: social, economic, environmental (including climate change).
Make a decision matrix: score both sources from 1 to 3 on at least four criteria that you choose. Add up the scores.
Communicate (A1.5): write a short paragraph or give a 2-minute talk: "For Ontario's future electricity, I recommend ___ because ___. One drawback is ___, and we could reduce it by ___."
Perspectives: list who might see your choice differently (a family paying bills, a worker at a power plant, a First Nation near a proposed dam, a farmer leasing land for wind turbines) and why.

What to look for: facts with sources, all three kinds of impacts, a clear recommendation backed by evidence, and at least one other perspective.

Safety: use the internet only with a grown-up's permission, and stick to trustworthy websites.

Your turn

Sort these as renewable or non-renewable: wind, natural gas, uranium, sunlight, coal, flowing water.

What is the biggest climate drawback of fossil fuels?

Give one benefit and one drawback of nuclear power.

Why are wind and solar sometimes paired with batteries or other sources?

Where does most of Ontario's electricity come from?

When did Ontario stop using coal to make electricity, and what was one benefit?

Why have many remote First Nations relied on diesel generators, and what are the problems?

More practice: warm-up

Is biomass renewable?

What are the three kinds of impacts in this lesson?

Which energy source uses flowing water?

What is a decision matrix?

Name one renewable source that can heat a building using the ground's steady temperature.

More practice: on your own

Give one social, one economic and one environmental impact of a new wind farm.

Why might switching home heating from natural gas furnaces to heat pumps increase how much electricity Ontario needs?

A large dam is proposed on a northern river. Name two groups who might see it differently, and why.

Explain how the Haudenosaunee seventh-generation teaching could be used to think about energy choices.

Why is it not enough to look only at the cost when choosing an energy source?

Challenge

A town compares two options with a decision matrix (scores out of 3). Natural gas plant: emissions 1, cost to build 3, reliability 3, air quality 1. Wind farm with storage: emissions 3, cost to build 1, reliability 2, air quality 3. Total each option. Then say whether you agree with simply adding the scores, and why.

Explain why electric cars charged in Ontario cause fewer greenhouse gas emissions than in a place where most electricity comes from coal.

Write a short argument (3 to 4 sentences) for or against building more nuclear power in Ontario, mentioning at least two kinds of impacts.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is a non-renewable energy source?

What is the main climate concern with burning fossil fuels?

Most of Ontario's electricity comes from...

A drawback of solar power is that it...

Which is an economic impact?

Why are many remote First Nations working to replace diesel generators?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (E1.2): every energy source has social, economic and environmental impacts, including effects on climate change. Students analyse renewable and non-renewable sources, learn how Ontario makes electricity (mostly nuclear and hydro; coal ended in 2014), and consider First Nations perspectives and leadership (A3.3). The research and debate activity practises a research process (A1.1) and communication (A1.5).

How to help: look at your electricity or gas bill together. Discuss how your home is heated and what your family might choose in the future. Encourage your child to back opinions with evidence and to consider other perspectives.

Common difficulties:

Thinking renewable means no impacts. Dams, wind farms and solar farms all have impacts.
Mixing up types of impacts. Health and jobs are social; money is economic; land, water, air and climate are environmental.

Sources: Government of Ontario (coal phase-out, completed 2014); IESO (Ontario's supply mix); Wataynikaneyap Power (24 First Nations own 51%; 16 remote communities connected by spring 2026, one more planned).