To the editor,
The Paris Agreement has a loophole. Carbon emissions are counted in the country where fossil fuels are burned, not where they were mined. If Canadian bitumen is shipped abroad, foreigners are stuck with the emissions.
This permits Canadian tar sands producers to continue mining bitumen while Canada claims to be hitting its Paris Agreement targets. Even with this loophole, Canada’s biggest bitumen buyer isn’t paying enough for bitumen mining to be profitable.
Canada needs a buyer willing to pay more than American refineries so low-cost access to a Canadian port is essential. The TransMountain pipeline is a multi-billion dollar taxpayer-funded gamble to subsidize the oil industry. It will profit only if a buyer is found willing to pay more than American refineries.
Will the gamble succeed? Not likely. Will Canada abandon unscrupulous games and invest sustainably? Canada’s choice is socialism for the rich or a healthy planet for our children.
Robert M. Macrae
Environmental Technology Instructor
Castlegar, B.C.