Governance

Dr. Chris Bataille

Chris Bataille is the director and business manager of MKJA, an energy policy and analysis consulting firm based in Vancouver that specializes in climate change policy economics. He is also an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University in the School of Resource and Environmental Management, and holds a Ph.D in energy economics, policy and modeling from SFU.

Chris has twelve years of experience in energy and environmental policy analysis. Originally a macroeconomist by training, during his Ph.D. Chris oversaw the development of the Canadian Integrated Modelling System (CIMS) which is an energy-economy model. Because of his close involvement in the development of CIMS, Chris has done many presentations on CIMS to both expert and wider public audiences and has given many workshops teaching new users how to use CIMS.

Chris has managed several large contracts for MKJA over the years, notably two large greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation cost curves exercises for the Analysis and Modelling Group of the National Climate Change Process that were an important part of the analyzes leading to the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. In 2007 Chris headed a study for Natural Resources Canada that identified the Canadian “national circumstances” that give rise to observed trends in GHG emissions and quantified them in comparison to the rest of the G7 countries. This report also involved writing a draft chapter on Canada’s national circumstances for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). For Environment Canada, Chris led a large study that used CIMS to model and analyze the detailed emissions and financial outcome of the Air Regulations announced in April 2007. For the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), Chris directed a series of projects that culminated in a large study that analyzed and specified long-term (2050) pathways and policies for deep reductions in GHGs and provided the foundation for Getting to 2050.

In addition to his contracted work, Chris has published several articles in The Energy Journal and Climate Policy, co-wrote a chapter of the soon to be published International Handbook of Energy Economics, and has contributed to a number of peer-reviewed public policy publications, including Burning our Money to Warm the Planet: Canada’s Ineffective Efforts to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Policy and Canadian Industry: Is there a threat to our competitiveness? published by the C.D. Howe Institute in May 2006 and February 2009.

In his spare time Chris enjoys travelling, mountaineering, studying languages, cooking and chess.