BC’s Fossil Fuel Exports have
Huge Hidden Carbon Footprint
by CCPA
BC must stop exporting fossil fuels if the
province is serious about dramatically cutting greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, according to a new Climate Justice Project brief from the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
"Environmentalist" Tzeporah Berman presents BC premier, Gordon Campbell with a "Green" award at Copenhagen, 2009
Peddling GHGs: What is the Carbon Footprint of BC’s Fossil Fuel Exports?
reviewed emissions from BC’s production and export of fossil fuels and
found some glaring contradictions between climate action targets and the
province’s industrial policies. One example is the recent approval of
an EnCana natural gas facility in BC’s Northeast, which, when completed,
will be the single largest emitter in BC, adding 2.2 million tones of
CO2 to BC’s greenhouse gas inventory.
“BC is considered a North American leader when it comes to climate
action, but we also need to take responsibility for our exports,” says
study author and CCPA-BC Senior Economist Marc Lee. “Official
inventories of GHG emissions only count those released within the
borders of a jurisdiction – the combustion of BC coal, oil and gas outside the province is not counted.”
GHG emissions from exported coal and natural gas generate more than double BC’s combustion emissions: study
The study found that the greenhouse gas emissions from BC's exported
fossil fuels to be more than double the combustion of fossil fuels by
households and businesses within BC. It also found that BC’s (in the
ground) reserves of coal and natural gas are equivalent to more than
three years of global CO2 emissions.
The study argues that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the only
practice that could make continued extraction and export environmentally
sustainable. However, this technology is expensive and may never be
able to capture 100% of emissions.
Lee recommends that BC impose a moratorium on new fossil fuel
extraction (and associated export) unless CCS can be effectively
implemented. And since such a policy would impact workers in the coal
and natural gas sectors, the provincial government should also commit to
a “green social contract”, including income supports, retraining
provisions and mobility allowances.
“Confronting GHG emissions from the oil and gas sector, and emissions
from fossil fuel exports that are combusted in other jurisdictions, is
perhaps the biggest challenge BC faces, and the most glaring
contradiction when it comes to climate policy,” says Lee. “This
challenge, and its social justice transitional issues, must be
acknowledged if BC is to be a real climate action leader.”
Peddling GHGs: What is the Carbon Footprint of BC’s Fossil Fuel Exports? is available for download from www.policyalternatives.ca.
This study is part of the Climate Justice Project, a five-year research
initiative of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the
University of British Columbia.
