New data shows BC still not on track to meet climate commitments
Wilderness Committee
VANCOUVER / UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh AND səlilwətaɬ TERRITORIES — Last week’s climate accountability report showed the provincial government is still not on track to meet its climate commitments. With current measures, B.C. predicts it will miss its 2025 target by 1.6 megatonnes or 15 per cent.
“B.C. is making some progress towards its climate commitments but they are still not on track and there is no room for error,” said Climate Campaigner Peter McCartney. “What this latest report shows us is that the province cannot afford to add any more climate pollution to its totals — it must reject proposals for more liquified natural gas (LNG).”
Even the province’s projections seem to be overly optimistic. It uses highly problematic accounting to claim 1.2 megatonnes of reductions from outside the province based on FortisBC’s purchases of renewable natural gas elsewhere in North America. Forecasts for only a slight emissions rebound or even a continued decline in 2021 after pandemic lockdowns are not in line with global trends.
This report even goes as far as to claim the oil and gas sector will meet its sectoral target when the data clearly shows otherwise. And it hardly acknowledges that LNG Canada may reverse its course if it comes online as planned in 2025.
“Politicians and public servants alike have a need to portray all news as good news,” said McCartney. “This report is full of places where they’ve tried to put on a happy face when what they’re really telling us is B.C. is dangerously off track and new LNG proposals would completely derail us.”
Four more LNG proposals beyond those modelled are currently in various stages of review and consideration. FortisBC wants to expand its Tilbury LNG plant in Delta. Shell and its partners are deciding whether to proceed with phase two of LNG Canada. Meanwhile, Cedar LNG and Ksi Lsims LNG are in the midst of their reviews.
“We’re not even on track to meet our climate commitments yet the gas industry wants to build more highly polluting projects and tens of thousands of new fracking wells that would be required to fill them,” said McCartney. “B.C. is seeing just how challenging it is to see real pollution cuts — let’s not make the task even more difficult.”
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For more information, please contact:
Peter McCartney | Climate Campaigner
778-239-1935, peter@wildernesscommittee.org
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