Five North American climate organizations are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to adopt an evidence-based climate test for all new energy projects, ahead of the PM’s state visit to Washington, DC March 10.
“It’s incompatible to be talking about being a leader on climate change and adhering to international commitments like the Paris agreement and, at the same time, expanding our high-carbon infrastructure and projects,” said Dale Marshall, National Program Manager at Environmental Defence. “The two don’t fit together.”
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“Adopting this new climate test is a critical next step given the commitments Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama made in Paris,” agreed Anthony Swift, director of NRDC’s Canada Project. “Evaluating energy projects and policies in light of their potential climate impacts can help Canada and the United States transition to cleaner energy and meet their climate commitments.”
Environmental Defence, NRDC, the Pembina Institute, Équiterre, and the Ecology Action Centre argued that a climate test “is likely to rule out long-term infrastructure, such as pipelines, that leads to expansion of Canada’s oil sands production,” the National Observer reports. “The challenge comes a week before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sits down with the premiers in Vancouver to begin laying the groundwork for a national climate policy, and two weeks before Trudeau visits Washington and his fellow climate campaigner, U.S. President Barack Obama.”
In an email to Cheadle, Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna said the tar sands/oil sands “are an important contributor to the economy, but they must be developed in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and helps Canada meet its climate change obligations.”
