Statement by Aly Hyder Ali, Oil and Gas Program Manager
Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – It is disappointing to see that the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) has once again resorted to using disinformation and stoking fear to avoid taking any responsibility for its climate pollution. In an analysis released today, CAPP claims that the oil and gas emissions cap will result in economic losses. Yet CAPP continues to ignore the overwhelming economic impacts of the oil and gas industry’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are driving climate change. Furthermore, the proposed emissions cap enshrines into regulation what oil and gas companies have already promised they will do, nothing more.
CAPP assumes ongoing demand for Canadian oil and gas. Yet energy experts, including the International Energy Agency and the Canada Energy Regulator, paint a very different picture. Additionally, CAPP’s analysis omits the inclusion of any plans for significant reductions of methane emissions, which is one of the cheapest methods of reducing oil and gas emissions from conventional oil and gas production.
This is not the first time that CAPP has attempted to dissuade the federal government from holding the oil and gas industry accountable for its pollution. While making public claims about reducing its pollution, CAPP has lobbied extensively behind closed doors against emissions reduction policies. This, of course, goes against warnings from global experts that have repeatedly shown that we need drastic reductions in pollution to fight climate change.
The oil and gas industry is the largest source of GHG emissions in Canada – accounting for 31 per cent of Canada’s domestic pollution. Conventional oil accounts for less than half of total oil and gas production. The reality is that oil sands – which is a very polluting source of oil – is the largest source of existing and planned production. The emissions from Canada’s oil and gas industry have also been linked to the increase in extreme wildfires that Canada has experienced in recent decades. Canada’s oil and gas pollution continues to increase, which proves the need for an enforceable cap on emissions from the industry.
The oil and gas industry has made hundreds of billions of dollars in recent years, while Canadians across the country are struggling to pay for their day-to-day needs. The cost of climate change continues to increase and it is everyday people that are feeling the brunt of it.
It is the role of the federal government to act in the best interests of the people in this country, not the industry. Canada needs an oil and gas emissions cap to safeguard the future of Canadians. It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the oil and gas industry is only looking out for itself.
For more information about why Canada needs an oil and gas emissions cap, please see this media backgrounder.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Allen Braude, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca
