For the purposes of Science and Technology Internship Program – Green Jobs, the natural resources sector is defined as, but not limited, operating in one or more of the following areas:
Energy sector
- Clean Energy Technologies: solar, wind, hydro/wave/tidal, geothermal, biofuels, nuclear/uranium, carbon capture and storage
- Transmission, Smart Grid and Energy Storage: technology enabling systems to adapt to renewable energy or further enhance the efficiency and operation of the grid, including power grid, utility services, battery energy storage, hydrogen fuel-cells
- Energy Efficiency, Fuel Switching: green building design and construction; electrification, cogeneration and systemic energy management; hydrogen, bioenergy, landfill-gas-to-energy, waste-to-energy
- Sustainable Development of Non-Renewable Resources: enhanced oil recovery, GHG reduction, downhole technology, disaster prevention and clean-up, site closure and remediation
Forest sector
- Forestry and Support Activities: silviculture, reforestation, land-use planning
- Ecology and Management: forest ecosystem management, including insects, invasive species, wildlife
- Non-Traditional Forest-Based Bioeconomy Products Manufacturing: bio-economy manufacturing, trade, and value-chain products, including biofuels and biochemicals used in pharmaceuticals and biodegradable plastics
- Solid Wood Product Manufacturing: primary and secondary manufacturing of hardwood and softwood, including engineered products
- Pulp and Paper Product Manufacturing: manufacturing of products using wood fibers and pulp to create paper and other cellulose-based products
Mining, minerals, and metals sector
- Prospecting and Exploration: remote sensing, aerial photography, geophysical and ground surveys, sampling
- Construction and Development: preparation of mine sites and construction of mining facilities, project design, engineering
- Extraction and Milling: mining operation, mining value from waste
- Processing and Manufacturing: metals smelting and refining, mineral processing, advanced materials and manufacturing
- Reclamation, Closure, Care and Maintenance: remediation
- Mining Supply and Services: providing goods and services predominantly to the mining industry
Earth sciences and support sector
- Environmental Assessment: geology, hydrogeology, aquatic and land ecology, regulatory support (Species at Risk Act, Fisheries Act, etc)
- Environmental Protection: natural resource protection and management, cumulative effects, conservation and restoration
- Geomatics and Earth Observation: surveying, mapping, remote sensing, and geographic information systems, land-use changes, habitat modeling
- Natural Hazard Risk Analysis and Prevention: seismic, terrain, and marine geohazards, including earthquakes, landslides, subaqueous slope failure; as well as climate change and extreme weather hazards, including flooding, sinkholes, wildfires, drought
- Sustainable Development: development, design, and maintenance of sustainable community projects, including parks, gardens, and agriculture; or support for industrial processing, including air, water, waste management
Clean technology
Any process, product, or service that reduces environmental impacts through:
- environmental protection activities that prevent, reduce, or eliminate pollution or any other degradation of the environment;
- resource management activities that result in the more efficient use of natural resources, thus safeguarding against their depletion; or
- the use of goods that have been adapted to be significantly less energy or resource-intensive than the industry standard.
Climate change adaptation
Climate change adaptation (CCA) placements refer to activities that address observed or projected changes in climate, with the goal of reducing the negative impacts of climate change and taking advantage of new opportunities. This is not to be confused with climate change mitigation activities, which focus on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Examples of CCA activities may include:
- assessing climate change risks and vulnerabilities of a region, community or organization to support adaptation planning and action;
- using nature-based solutions to reduce flood risk due to sea-level rise and coastal erosion;
- designing infrastructure that can withstand more extreme weather; and/or
- redesigning cities to make them more comfortable and safe during heatwaves.