Canada invites oil sands industry to COP27

The Trudeau government has invited the oil sands industry to hold an event at the Canada Pavilion at the current UN climate conference, COP27. According to information obtained by The dutythe oil companies will have the opportunity to praise their projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, at a time when many voices are being raised to denounce the greenwashing that characterizes the discourse of supporters of fossil fuels.

The international climate negotiation conference, which is being held this year in Egypt, is also an opportunity for various countries to present the concrete measures they are implementing to reduce their GHG emissions and combat the climate crisis. This is what the federal government intends to do at the Canada pavilion, which is officially described as “a unique opportunity to present the diversity of Canadian actions and perspectives on climate change”.

The Trudeau government has thus chosen to invite representatives of six oil companies active in the exploitation of the oil sands to hold an event on Friday, November 11. These companies, grouped within the organization Pathways Alliance, are Canadian Natural, Cenovus, ConocoPhillips, Imperial, Meg Energy and Suncor. They alone account for 95% of oil sands oil production, or nearly three million barrels per day.

As part of a thematic day dedicated to “decarbonization”, the oil companies will hold an event called “Collaborating to find solutions for the oil sands”. According to what can be read in the presentation, a “panel” will bring together four people, including a representative of Cenovus, the vice-president of external relations of Alliance Nouvelles Voies and an assistant deputy minister of the Department of Natural Resources Canada.

The activity will directly serve to promote the climate efforts of the six companies, which exploit one of the most polluting oils on the planet. They believe that they will be able to “achieve carbon neutrality” by 2050. To achieve this, they are counting on the development of a “significant system of carbon capture, use and storage” for industry.

The development of this technology, which is still at an experimental stage, is a priority for the fossil fuel industry, which sees it as a way to reduce GHG emissions from oil production. The Trudeau government has also granted hundreds of millions of dollars to assess the potential for “commercial viability” of this technology in Canada.

“Collaborate”

The office of Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault defends his decision to invite the oil sands industry to a UN conference dedicated to tackling the climate crisis, which is in good part of our dependence on fossil fuels.

“We need to work together to reduce our emissions. Without the full participation of all industries, we won’t get there. Pathways Alliance will host a panel discussion to explain the importance of collaboration and partnerships between government, Indigenous communities and industry to achieve net zero emissions through the Pathways Alliance Foundation Project,” it was explained in a written response to questions from the To have to.

Mr. Guilbeault’s office also specified that the event would serve to present the carbon capture and storage project intended to make the oil sands industry carbon neutral. “Showcasing Canadian leadership and innovation in the clean technology and energy sectors, the project aims to achieve an annual reduction of 22 million tonnes [de GES] by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050,” it was argued.

Professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke and specialist in climate issues, Annie Chaloux judges, however, that the invitation of oil companies to the Canada pavilion at COP27 is “very problematic”. “What the industry is proposing is simply a headlong rush: we will continue to emit greenhouse gases, but we will capture more, when the technology is not there. And there is no short or medium term horizon where we are going to achieve this. »

“It is clear that this industry cannot be part of the formal or informal negotiations, or even participate in the side events of a COP. At the World Health Organization, the cigarette sector is not part of the discussions. He cannot lobby, ”adds Mme Chaloux.

It recalls at the same time that recent reports from the International Energy Agency and the United Nations conclude without hesitation that any new project for the exploration and exploitation of fossil fuels is incompatible with the objective of the Agreement of Paris on the climate, or to limit global warming to a viable threshold.

“Many of us from Canada on site at COP27 are ashamed of our pavilion. It is embarrassing for Canada to make such a place for an industry that has largely contributed to the problem we are trying to solve,” laments Équiterre spokesperson Émile Boisseau-Bouvier.

For lawyer Marc Bishai, from the Center québécois du droit de l’environnement, the assertions of the oil industry on possible “carbon neutrality” are far from being based on a credible plan. “It is often difficult to know what we are talking about. There is a lack of regulation on these issues, which leads us to climate greenwashing situations,” he points out.

UN experts rightly pointed out in a report on Tuesday that it was not possible to claim “carbon neutrality” while betting on fossil fuels. “Using bogus carbon neutrality commitments to cover up massive fossil fuel expansions is reprehensible,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, commenting on their study. “This attempt at a toxic cover-up could knock the world off the climate cliff. This deception must end. »

The climatic heavyweight of the tar sands

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