The former federal Minister of the Environment, Catherine McKenna, bluntly denounces the climate inaction of the fossil fuel industry and its desire to block policies to combat climate change. In an interview given to Dutyshe also urges the Trudeau government to accelerate the implementation of essential commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite opposition from certain provinces.
Weeks after the Liberals were elected in 2015, Catherine McKenna was in Paris as Canada’s environment minister for the adoption of the most ambitious climate agreement in history. Eight years later, however, she deplores the fact that “we are still very far from the targets set” within the framework of this international agreement.
A good part of the delays which today threaten the survival of humanity are attributable to the systematic blockages of the fossil fuel industry, which according to it is doing everything in its power to slow down the energy transition essential to avoid the collapse of the planetary climate. . And Canada is at the forefront of this battle against the indisputable findings of science.
“In Canada, these companies say they are working towards carbon neutrality, but they have not done anything consistent with this objective. They talk about carbon neutrality in 2050, but they don’t want to do anything currently, like invest in renewable energies and reduce their emissions. And they are lobbying against climate action,” she underlines in an interview given before her departure for the United Nations climate conference, COP28.
Mme McKenna, who today runs the firm Climate and Nature Solutions, remembers facing rejection from the industry when she was a minister in the Trudeau government. “Several people have tried to work with the oil and gas sector. I did it myself when I was minister. I had several meetings to try to find solutions, but each time, they fought. Every time. »
She also criticizes the industry’s natural allies like Alberta and Saskatchewan, two provinces that oppose the federal government’s main climate measures. “They’re fighting every policy that would allow us to reduce emissions and grow a clean economy, which is honestly a problem for Canada, which needs to work hard to attract clean energy investment. »
“Tremendous profits”
Meanwhile, industry profits have continued to grow, reaching record levels in 2022. “Canadians should be furious. Companies make huge profits and instead of investing them in clean energy, they give back to their investors, many of whom are not in Canada. But since they exploit Canadian resources, this money should help Canada get out of oil and gas as quickly as possible. »
According to data released last week by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the oil and gas sector currently devotes just 2.5% of its investments to renewable energy. However, the transition must accelerate, according to the United Nations, which estimates that the production of renewable energies must at least triple by 2030, an objective to which Ottawa subscribes.
The fossil fuel industry, particularly in Canada, is nevertheless counting on growth in production over the coming years, while believing that it can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions thanks to the development of technology for capturing and storing fossil fuels. carbon.
But according to Catherine McKenna, it is a “distraction” which will be financed largely by public funds. “The goal of companies is to make as much money as possible and make Canadians pay for their pollution,” she says. “And the industry refuses to admit that we cannot develop capture and storage to the extent that would be necessary and at reasonable costs in the short term. It’s not consistent. Do they want to be part of the solution or the problem? For now, they are part of the problem. »
Firmness
In this context, the former minister urges the federal government to act more firmly towards a sector which has known “for decades” that emissions from the combustion of oil and gas constitute the engine of warming.
Mme McKenna thus pleads for the establishment of a tax on exceptional profits from the sector, but also for a brake on “any new infrastructure” for fossil fuels. She cites as an example the IEA, which has been repeating since 2021 that any new exploration or exploitation project must be blocked, which the Trudeau government still refuses to do, citing the provinces’ powers in the energy field.
To get around the problem, the federal government should therefore implement the promised policies which are not yet in force. “The first measure is the emissions cap for the oil and gas sector, but there are also regulations on methane emissions and standards for zero-emission vehicles. »
Catherine McKenna also wants progress within the framework of COP28, particularly with regard to the “elephant in the room”, namely the industry defended last year by more than 600 lobbyists during COP27 in Egypt. .
“It has always been very difficult, in the context of the COP, to discuss the exit from fossil fuels. But it’s important to talk about real things, even if it’s a challenge to get things done. We know we are not where we need to be to hope to limit warming to 1.5°C, as the Paris Agreement calls for. We are heading towards 2.5°C, or even 2.9°C. It’s better than if we didn’t have an agreement, but the reality is that countries need to implement their commitments. All countries must act, including Canada. »