Canada has 12 “carbon bombs” that could derail all efforts to limit climate change in the coming years.
According to an expert study published in the journal Energy Policythese are 12 hydrocarbon exploitation projects that would generate billions and billions of tons of greenhouse gases (GHG).
They are part of a list of 425 “carbon bombs”, extraction projects, in progress or planned, located all over the world, but mostly in China.
Three-quarters of the projects are concentrated in ten countries, including Canada.
According to the researchers, if all the fuels are extracted from these projects and burned, the signatory countries of the Paris agreements of 2015 will not be able to meet the planned targets, which were to limit to 1.5 degrees Celsius the warming of the average temperature of the planet.
“Defusing carbon bombs should be a priority in a climate change mitigation policy”, argue the authors of the study entitled “Carbon Bombs – Mapping key fossil fuel projects”. fossils).
By “defuse”, the authors mean not to undertake an extraction project that has not yet begun. And for projects that are already underway, it is recommended to continue operation, but without additional investment.
Among the 12 projects on Canada’s list of “carbon bombs” is the Montney Play oil and gas project in British Columbia, with 13.7 gigatonnes of GHGs, or 13.7 billion tonnes. In the whole ranking of the 425 “carbon bombs” in the world, it is one of the most polluting.
In second place in Canada is the Murray River coal mine in British Columbia (8.5 gigatonnes of GHG), and in third place is the Spirit River formation in Alberta (3 gigatonne of GHG).
In this lackluster list, Canada’s other “carbon bombs” are the Gething coal mine in British Columbia, the Horizon oil sands project, the Kearl projects, Duvernay, and the Athabasca oil sands project, all in Alberta, the Christina Lake project in British Columbia, the Liard shale gas project (BC), the Mildred Lake project (Alberta) and the Fording River coal mine (BC). ).
The study notes that of the 425 projects listed, only 169 have not yet been undertaken.
Is recognized as a “carbon bomb” a project that generates more than a billion tons of GHG if it is completed, specify the authors of the study.