Ottawa approves major offshore oil project in Newfoundland just days after UN calls new fossil fuel projects ‘madness’

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The federal government has approved a major new deep-water oil operation off the coast of Newfoundland, two days after the head of the United Nations said to invest in new fossil fuel projects is “moral and economic madness.”

OTTAWA—

The report also said that even “existing and currently planned” fossil fuel projects would belch enough emissions to push global warming higher than 1.5 C this century — the threshold beyond which climate change is expected to get more disastrous. The project’s operations are also expected to generate a small amount of greenhouse gas emissions — less than 0.03 per cent of Canada’s national total, according to Equinor’s 2018of the proposed operation, though that does not include the emissions from when the oil produced is burned.

Chris Bataille, an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University, said the emissions from offshore oil projects are anywhere from eight to 10 times lower than operations in the Canadian oilsands, and they produce a “higher quality” oil that doesn’t need to be as extensively refined. That means, even if the emissions displace some room for Prairie oil under the federal government’s planned “cap” on greenhouse gas pollution from the oil and gas sector, such a regional trade off could be justified given how Alberta and Saskatchewan have more people and economic opportunities, he said.Abreu agreed Newfoundland deserves an economic boost, but argued it is regressive and damaging for governments to view fossil fuel development as the path to get there.

even as emissions are projected to drop — thanks to a suite of policies like the national minimum carbon price, methane regulations and more — to at least 36 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

 

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Lacks wisdom

I think that we've turned much of our limited and most productive farmlands (ie the GTA and Golden Horseshoe in Southern Ontario) into urbanized homes and pavement is 'moral and economic madness'. Funny the environmentalists, many of whom live in there, never seem to mention this

It seems Canada is not allowed to have a project whereas other countries can do whatever they want.

quite the spin doctor there , trono star ..

Justin lied again....

Good! This can be done without causing significant environmental impacts.

So the panic that s_guilbeault would be an activist or even effective Minister was incorrect.

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