A Territorial Approach to Transitioning Oil and Gas Producing Regions: Comparative Practices and Prospects for Canada

Abstract

Abstract Oil and gas transitions are relatively new and especially difficult because the sector is large, economically central, and deeply embedded in national energy systems. Territorial approaches—grounded in regional political economies, institutions, and community impacts—offer a politically feasible way to begin meaningful oil and gas transitions in Canada's producing regions. Our article first traces the evolution of Canadian oil and gas governance within federal climate architectures and entrenched fossil regionalisms, then draws on comparative case studies of Esbjerg (Denmark), Taranaki (New Zealand), and Aberdeen (Scotland) to show how territorially grounded policies and just transition institutions can help regions move beyond fossil lock‐in. It concludes by distilling cross‐cutting lessons into a governance framework for regionally differentiated transitions in Canadian oil and gas producing regions.