Chris Turner

Chris Turner

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Calgary, Alberta

Author & Journalist | Climate Change, Energy Transition & Sustainability Expert

  • Videos
  • Expertise
  • Media Interviews
  • Books
Chris Turner

The Past, Present, and Future of Canadian Energy

Main Video

Chris Turner

The future will look like the current mess | Chris Turner #WalrusTalks

Video 2

Chris Turner

Chris Turner AVICC on Energy Sustainability

Video 3

Chris Turner

Why Canadian history isn't as boring as you think it is: Chris Turner at TEDxYYC

Video 4

  • HR & Corporate Culture
  • Leadership
  • Resilience & Adversity
  • Influence & Negotiation
  • Peak Performance
  • Environment & Climate Change
  • Government Departments & Agencies
  • Climate Change
  • Sustainability
Calgary Climate Hub
Acoc 5.1 Featuring Chris Turner & the Case for Climate Optimism [feb 28, 2023]
Royal Ontario Museum
Climate Change Literature: Balancing Anxiety and Optimism for Multi-generational Audiences
Hrai
Hrai in the Air Interview With Kick Off Keynote Speaker Chris Turner
The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy
In The Leap, Chris Turner presents a field guide to making that jump, drawing on recent breakthroughs in state-of-the-art renewable energy,...
The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy
How to Be A Climate Optimist: Blueprints for A Better World
From the National Business Book Award winner and GG finalist, a very different book about facing the climate crisis, and what awaits us on...
How to Be a Climate Optimist: Blueprints for a Better World
The Patch: the People, Pipelines, and Politics of the Oil Sands
The Patch is the story of Fort McMurray and the oil sands in northern Alberta, the world’s second largest proven reserve of oil. But this...
The Patch: The People, Pipelines, and Politics of the Oil Sands
Planet Simpson: How A Cartoon Masterpiece Documented An Era and Defined A Generation
A smart, accessible and funny cultural analysis of The Simpsons, its inside stories and the world it reflects. From Bart Simpson to Monty...
Planet Simpson: How A Cartoon Masterpiece Documented An Era And Defined A Generation

CHRIS TURNER BIOGRAPHY

Chris Turner is one of Canada’s leading authorities on climate change solutions and the global energy transition. He is known for his clear, evidence-based approach to explaining how the shift toward a sustainable economy is reshaping industries, cities, and communities worldwide.

He has spent more than two decades reporting from the front lines of climate innovation, documenting the rise of renewable energy, cleantech, and sustainable urban design. Through his writing and speaking, Chris Turner provides audiences with a clear understanding of what a successful energy transition looks like in practice and how leadership, policy, and innovation intersect to make it possible.

Chris Turner’s latest book, How to Be a Climate Optimist: Blueprints for a Better World, offers a realistic and hopeful framework for addressing the climate crisis through proven solutions. Published by Random House Canada, the book won the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and has been praised for its accessible insight into the technologies and systems driving the next era of progress.

His 2017 bestseller, The Patch: The People, Pipelines, and Politics of the Oil Sands, provided a balanced and deeply reported account of Canada’s most controversial energy sector and earned the National Business Book Award. His earlier works, The Leap and The Geography of Hope, were both finalists for the same award and established his reputation as one of the country’s most respected environmental writers.

Chris Turner’s 2014 essay collection, How to Breathe Underwater, won the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize and gathered some of his most compelling magazine features on technology, culture, and the environment. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, and numerous international publications, where his reporting has consistently illuminated the social and economic realities of climate change.

Over the course of his career, Chris Turner has received 10 National Magazine Awards for excellence in feature writing, reporting, and commentary. His work combines deep research with a focus on practical solutions that demonstrate how climate action can create lasting economic and social benefit.

He has served as a media fellow at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, a writer-in-residence at the Berton House in Dawson City, and a Paul D. Fleck Fellow at the Banff Centre. These experiences have strengthened his global perspective on sustainability and his ability to translate complex issues into engaging narratives that resonate with both expert and general audiences.

As a speaker and communications strategist, Chris Turner works with organizations seeking to navigate the transition to a low-carbon economy. His recent clients include the Canadian Climate Institute, TD Bank, Siemens Energy, Natural Resources Canada, Compugen, and the Canadian Institute of Planners. Through these engagements, he provides data-driven insights that help leaders and teams understand the implications of the energy transition and communicate their vision effectively.

Chris Turner’s presentations explore how innovation, policy, and community engagement can accelerate meaningful progress toward sustainability. He connects the lessons of climate leadership from around the world to the realities facing Canadian industries and governments, offering audiences practical tools to implement change.

In all his work, Chris Turner emphasizes optimism grounded in evidence and action. He demonstrates that the technologies, systems, and ideas necessary for a sustainable future already exist and that success depends on how effectively they are applied.

Chris Turner continues to write, speak, and advise on the transformation of global energy systems and the future of sustainable development. His perspective is valued by policymakers, corporate leaders, and citizens who seek credible, solutions-oriented insight into one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century.

He lives in Calgary with his wife and two children, where he continues his research and writing on the evolving relationship between technology, environment, and society.

Chris Turner Topic Presentations

Chris Turner Calgary, Alberta, Canada delivers keynote presentations, workshops, fireside chats, moderated Q&A, and other presentation formats on a wide variety of topics. Each presentation is unique, customized and tailored for audiences, industries, conferences and event formats.

How to Be A Climate Optimist

Tracking the Global Energy Transition

Taking the Leap: Embracing the Sustainable Economy

Chris Turner Speaking Testimonials

Everything went great at our event! Chris’ keynote was very well received and our President was very pleased with everything.

Senior Advisor, Internal Communications
Targay

Chris provided a thought-provoking and stimulating presentation on the need for a change in the way we live. His passion for the subject matter certainly came through in his detailed and energetic presentation. He left us with a renewed sense of the need for (and benefits of) sustainability as a core principle in transportation planning and city-building.

CITE Conference

Chris Turner’s presentation was powerful and delivered with passion. It was exactly what we were looking to provide to our audience.

Better Buildings Conference

The War on Science is a tremendously important book and you owe it to your country to read it.

National Post Review 2013

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FAQ

How to book Chris Turner for an event?

Chris Turner keynote speaker is an expert presenter and has a wide range of experience speaking to a wide variety of audiences and organizations. Chris Turner delivers keynotes, workshops & training sessions. They may also host or emcee events. Hire Chris Turner from Calgary, Alberta for your event to inspire the audience to take action and make change in their work and their lives. Your workplace will benefit from our keynote speaker and their keynote talks and speeches will shift the mindsets or behaviours for the audience members in Canada. 

Interested in booking Chris Turner for an event?

Are you looking to hire Chris Turner for your event? Chris Turner Calgary, Alberta is a dynamic and engaging speaker that offers audiences researched content paired with expertise and a dynamic speaking ability. Chris Turner is also a Canadian corporate consultant and coach and facilitates workshops and training sessions for a corporate audience. Chris Turner is an expert keynote presenter and speaks on wide variety of topics. Hiring a great speaker for your event is important and working with a thought leader like Chris Turner from Speakers Canada's roster will engage audiences into the content of the presentation to bring awareness and a fresh perspective for their approach to their work and their lives. Book Chris Turner to educate, motivate and activate the audience through an interactive and entertaining presentation at corporate meetings and gatherings.

Known as a popular key note speaker in Canada, Chris Turner creates life changing experiences for the participants with practical insights and strategic advice they can implement right after the session. Working with one of our leading expert speaker like Chris Turner from Calgary, Alberta offers organizations a fresh perspective to assist the people of the organization. No matter if it is a government, association, or business crowd, Chris Turner is a perfect speaker for your event. Through unique practical insights for trending topics and years experience speaking to different organizations, Chris Turner focuses on changing individuals to make better decisions at work and their lives. No matter if you are holding an in person or virtual event, having an influential speaker such as Chris Turner will engage, motivate, and activate the audience to make a change in their lives and inspire action for results to meet organizational goals. Your workforce will benefit from Chris Turner's presentations and speeches, with measurable results set to shift the people of the organization and core direction of the company. Book Chris Turner speaker for your annual general meeting, conference, summit, or convention in Canada.

How much does it cost to hire Chris Turner for a keynote presentation or virtual event?

Chris Turner is an expert professional key note speaker with a lot of experience speaking and delivering engaging talks to organizations and audiences in Canada. Each of Speaker Bureau Canada's talent have different ways to assess their fees, and Chris Turner speaker fee ranges depending on the size of the audience, event format (in person or virtual), event location, and if the organization booking them is a non profit, association, government department/government agency or business/corporation. The speakers we work with are flexible with their fees, and it is important for us to learn more about your event before we approach them, as it is our role to work for you, and to help you find a speaker within budget. 

Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact Chris Turner to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like Chris Turner for your event. As Chris Turner's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization's behalf to try to help you get in touch with Chris Turner and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.

Chris Turner Disclaimer

Speakers Bureau Canada assists companies and event planning teams seeking to hire talent like Chris Turner for speaking engagements, virtual meetings, conference appearances, training sessions and workshops facilitations. Our Canadian speakers bureau does not claim to exclusively represent Chris Turner, however they are represented by Speakers Canada, and we work with them closely for their Canadian speaking opportunities and bookings. As Canada's top speaker bureau, we represent Canadian motivational keynote speakers and professional guest speakers that will be available on your upcoming events date and location that are withing the budget. Our talented bureau speaker booking agency can help find business speakers or celebrity speakers that aligns with each organization, audience, event theme and the topic themes you hope for the speaker to address in their presentation. 

When SBC receives a request to book Chris Turner we provide you with their speaker fees, travel costs and check their schedules. We work closely with the host organization's event planning team and the speaker to handle the logistics and to relay or negotiate associated costs. Our talented team members then will work with our talent directly or their agent/manager/assistant to confirm the Canadian speaker fee and travel expenses, so that event planning teams can receive an official quote for the speaker appearing at the event. Speaker fees and travel costs vary per speaker and our role is to contact Chris Turner about your event, after we have connected with the event organizers to learn all the event details and/or conference program. Each booking request is unique since session durations and audience sizes can vary which may affect the speaker's fees. If you are looking to hire Chris Turner, we recommend filling out the booking request form so a booking agent from Speakers Bureau Canada can get in touch with our talent to help you coordinate with your team to engage the speaker for a successful event.