Industry cannot drag their heels any longer on oil and gas pollution

OTTAWA | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHINAABEG PEOPLE — Today, following media coverage of the Alberta government–commissioned report on the proposed national cap on oil and gas emissions, the David Suzuki Foundation comments. The report was only released today under public pressure, despite being dated March 27, 2024.

Thomas Green, Senior Climate Policy Adviser, David Suzuki Foundation, said:

“The Alberta government has once again commissioned a report with deeply flawed assumptions. The report presumes Alberta’s oil production will grow by 35 per cent to 2040 when this is in direct contradiction to the findings of the International Energy Agency and other reputable energy analysts that assert demand will soon peak and then begin falling as renewable energy continues growing at breakneck speed and as more and more vehicles run on electricity rather than gasoline.

“The fossil fuel industry is largely responsible for driving the climate crisis and we cannot allow the Alberta government and industry to drag their heels any longer. These corporations have made record-breaking profits while polluting our air and stalling any meaningful action to reduce their emissions.

“We need strong regulations to reduce the oil and gas industry’s rising pollution and that means ensuring a strong emissions cap without loopholes like carbon offsets. We call on the federal government to move forward with an oil and gas emissions cap regulation as soon as possible to bring emissions down, in line with climate science.

“The Government of Alberta is acting like the oil industry’s PR firm. The current extreme temperatures and wildfires throughout the country should be a wake-up call. Under the Paris Agreement, we must stop supporting fossil fuel industry expansion. Our future depends on it.”

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For more information and media interviews, please contact:

Melanie Karalis: mkaralis@davidsuzuki.org, 548-588-1279