, Canada’s former minister of environment and climate change, Catherine McKenna, launched an irresponsible attack on industries across Canada, categorizing their commitments to drive down greenhouse gas emissions and reach defined reduction targets as “greenwashing.” Reducing industry efforts to a single sensationalized term is profoundly unfair and oblivious to the world’s energy challenges.
In addition, billions of dollars in industry capital are currently invested and designated to be invested in carbon capture and other clean technologies. Dismissing this as “greenwashing” ignores real investment, cooperation between industry and governments, and pragmatic climate solutions. Even decarbonization scenarios aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius indicate the need for millions of barrels of oil per day in 2040 and beyond.
This is an opportunity for Canada. Thanks to a combination of geology, stringent regulation and progressive operators, Canada has some of the lowest GHG intensity natural gas production on the planet. Exporting lower-emission Canadian natural gas to the world supports energy security and helps address climate change.