This brings us back to the cigarette comparison. But the real bonus for this government strategy is that none of those emissions burned offshore are counted as part of Canada’s GHG burden. The government has argued that profits from the export of bitumen will be used to help mitigate the climate disaster. This pipeline will allow for a massive increase in bitumen for export. The Rise and Fall of Trudeau’s ‘Grand Bargain’ on Climate read moreĪnd this leads us to the fourth and key pillar - the $21 billion investment in the TMX pipeline. An article in The Breach identified a staggering 6800 meetings being held between the Trudeau government and representatives of the oil industry over the last seven years.

What we have learned from the Trudeau government is that the interests of the oil industry are deeply embedded in the creation of public policy. Will the government listen to 400 environmental experts? Not likely. This past January, 400 scientists and academics wrote to Minister Chrystia Freeland urging against banking Canada’s climate strategy on unproven technology. This leads us to the proposal to undertake investment of upwards of $75 billion to promote Carbon Capture in order to keep up production while pumping emissions deep into the earth. The strategy has failed and emissions continue to rise. This is the equivalent of claiming that heavy tar cigarettes can be repackaged as a light brand. Both industry and government have long tried to shift focus from overall and absolute emissions to the prospect of reducing the intensity of emissions per barrel. It breaks down like this: Canada’s oil sector is heavily dependent on oil sands production, which has been identified internationally as among the dirtiest on the planet. Believing that it is possible to get to lower emissions while increasing production is to accept the “light cigarette as a healthy alternative” proposition. Welcome to the great Canadian disconnect. The government’s own Net-Zero Advisory Body, which has a mandate for “prioritizing early and deep reductions,” has stated it that takes no position on whether a major increase in oil production contradicts their role to push for deep reductions in emissions. The problem is the cap on emissions doesn’t include capping production. The second tool in the government’s arsenal was introduced by the Prime Minister at COP26 when he committed to establishing a hard cap on emissions. Thus, the polluter will pay, but can still make a lot of money by polluting more. Canada’s energy regulator predicts that our oil production will increase by 1.2 million barrels a year by 2030. Both Canada’s energy regulator and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers have factored in the rising price on carbon and have concluded it is still possible to vastly increase production. Theoretically, a high price on carbon should force the market to shift to lower-cost renewables. The cornerstone of the Liberal plan is carbon pricing. Let’s unpack the four key arguments that are underpinning Canada’s seriously flawed Net Zero plan.

Please enable JavaScript before you proceed. Your browser either doesn't support JavaScript or you have it turned off. $180 per year is a common, generous amount. You choose the amount that works for you and you can cancel at any time. Your $180 per year will help grow our independent newsroom If you share that belief, and you’d like to help us keep publishing our stories, please consider joining us today. We believe that our region needs and deserves quality, investigative journalism that gets to the heart of what matters. $15 per month is a common, generous amount. We’re looking for more people to sign up for a monthly or annual commitment to help us meet our budget goals and plan ahead for the future. The only way all of this works is if readers who appreciate our work step up to support it. We track every dollar carefully and the vast majority of our revenue goes towards paying for in-depth journalism that you won’t read anywhere else. The Tyee is a Canadian reader-funded news organization. These amazing people chip in an amount that works for them on a monthly, annual or one-time basis so that we can pay our talented journalists and keep our articles freely accessible to everyone. The reason you were able to read that whole article without hitting a paywall or being hit with a ton of different ads is because our publication is supported by thousands of readers who we call Tyee Builders. Most of our articles are considered long in today’s digital media world. You made it to the very bottom of this article, which we hope means that you found it valuable. Your $15 per month will help grow our independent newsroom

How to get back deleted emails netzero