How Canada and the Indo-Pacific Can Turn Climate Ambition into Practical Solutions

OTTAWA — Tahani Elghazaly

Setting ambitious climate goals is no longer the only challenge facing governments. The harder task is turning those goals into reliable energy systems, resilient supply chains, investment and technologies that can work at scale. For Canada, the Indo-Pacific is becoming an increasingly important part of that equation.

Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy identifies clean energy, critical minerals, energy transition and climate action as important areas for deeper regional co-operation, alongside trade, investment and supply-chain resilience. Canada is also seeking to position its resources and expertise as part of a reliable clean-energy and critical-minerals supply network.

Critical minerals are one of the clearest areas where climate policy and economic strategy intersect. They are essential to batteries, electric vehicles, renewable-energy technologies and energy storage. Canada’s current approach emphasizes increasing domestic production and processing, protecting critical-mineral value chains and developing stronger international partnerships.

Indonesia offers a practical example of where that co-operation could lead. In comments to Tawasul News, His Excellency Ambassador Muhsin Syihab, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Canada, said Canada and Indonesia have strong complementary strengths in building more resilient critical-mineral and clean-energy supply chains. His Excellency noted that mining is Canada’s largest area of investment in Indonesia.

His Excellency Ambassador Syihab said the Canada–Indonesia Critical Minerals Dialogue provides an important platform for translating those complementary strengths into practical co-operation, including higher environmental and sustainability standards. The bilateral dialogue is designed to support secure and resilient supply chains while encouraging knowledge-sharing on environmental, social and governance standards and cleaner mining and refining practices.

The opportunity extends beyond mining. His Excellency Ambassador Syihab also pointed to Canada’s expertise in clean energy, including nuclear power and hydropower, and said Indonesia’s growing electricity demand creates significant opportunities for Canadian expertise to support the country’s energy transition and pathway toward net-zero emissions. Recent bilateral discussions have already covered critical minerals, nuclear technology, energy trade and supply chains for batteries and electric vehicles.

Similar efforts are emerging elsewhere in the region. In March 2026, Canada and India signed a memorandum of understanding on clean-energy co-operation covering solar, wind, bioenergy, small hydropower and energy storage, alongside broader collaboration in critical minerals and energy security. It is another example of Canada’s regional relationships moving from broad commitments toward more defined areas of implementation.

Canada brings significant assets to these partnerships, including critical-mineral resources, mining expertise, hydropower, nuclear technology and clean-energy capabilities. Indo-Pacific economies, meanwhile, combine rapidly growing energy demand with major manufacturing markets and technological capacity. Connecting those strengths could create practical opportunities, provided investment is accompanied by environmental standards and resilient supply chains.

With COP31 scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, 2026, the real test will increasingly be less about how many new commitments are announced and more about what governments and businesses can turn into workable projects, investment and technology.