As if the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) has not reaped enough havoc already, in addition to the damage caused by carbon emissions causing floods, fires, hurricanes, drought, heavy downpours, scary ocean acidification (killing vital plankton) and lung-damaging smog. Climate change is far more threatening to the human race than this temporary pandemic and time is running out rapidly. Incredulously and dangerously, our government still chirps that we can have climate destruction and oil sands pollution at the same time?
Recently, Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan applauded the Keystone XL news: “The project increases our market access — safely, responsibly, and sustainably — and fits within Canada’s climate plan,” he said in a statement.
This is a really dangerous and delusional view for Canada’s future, economy, and the security of Canadians. O’Regan, and Liberal Minister Catherine MacKenna before him, keep pushing that we must burn billions of barrels of bitumen first to pay for the climate change technologies, which will save us later. We are not fools, and their flawed logic insults our intelligence.
It is clear to see that other sectors of our economy are already suffering tremendously from its climate impacts and this flawed policy such as farming, forestry, and fishing. Health-care costs are skyrocketing from pollution. More pipelines to vastly increase Canada’s carbon missions is robbing Peter in our economy to pay Paul.
Albertans lost roughly $700 million-worth of crops in the 2019 alone season due to climate change. Yet Alberta Premier Jason Kenney persists in spending billions in a middle of a pandemic on big oil, instead of strongly supporting hard-hit Albertans — and while prices per barrel remain less than a six-pack of beer. It is a massive risk in so many ways.
If the Democrats win the U.S. election, they will abide by Obama’s previous decision that the environmental risks are too great and will again cancel Keystone XL. And Premier Kenney will have wasted the last of Alberta’s treasury reserves on useless and rusting pipes to the U.S. border and beyond.
At the moment, Premier Kenney is simply offering Albertans a one-time payment of $1,142.00, and a few hundred million in support in agriculture and small business. That $8 billion that Kenney just spent on Keystone XL (in cash and guarantees) is coming at the cost of desperately needed respirators, vastly more beds, testing, first-responders, hospital costs and support services; and also to keep ordinary people and businesses in Alberta from going bankrupt. For Donald Trump and Premier Kenney — both climate change deniers — the economy is the priority, not people.
Only several days ago did Kenney finally shut the oil sands down, which risked 5,000 very stressed workers and their families to coronavirus exposure, due to unsafe working, living and dining conditions in these camps, let alone hand-sanitizer. That doesn't seem to matter much to Kenney in self-isolation.
Now is not the time to invest in pipelines, even if you support the oil sands. It is easy to see Premier Kenney’s game: ask for billions in COVID-19 relief from Ottawa on one hand, and then, subsidize his one-per-cent friends with the other. PM Justin Trudeau will lose more votes and seats if his government continues to ignore what the vast majority of what Canadians want — action, real and far more substantial action on climate change. Time to get a leash on Premier Kenney and ween Canada off oil sands, which is clearly on life-support.
When we come out of this temporary pandemic it is time to get finally serious about investing a green-energy economy. We can outlast COVID-19. Further aggravating climate change past the rapidly approaching tipping point, as our best scientists around the globe are persistently warning, will destroy the planet and us completely.
Time to leave the oil-sands in the sands. This is a matter of survival.
John Hopkins is a filmmaker from Breadalbane, who, prior to making documentaries about the environment and the need for more robust ocean conservation to protect its wildlife and fishing industries, worked in the Alberta’s oil industry.
