Photo by Pamela Haasen
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to net zero between 2040 and 2055 in order to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The British Columbia government has pledged to reduce emissions by 80 per cent from 2007 levels by 2050 through its CleanBC Plan and the federal government has pledged that Canada will be net zero by 2050.
Earth scientist David Hughes has researched, published and lectured widely on global energy and sustainability issues in North America and internationally.
In a paper released this month (July 2020) Hughes offers the sustainability of liquified natural gas (LNG) export as commerce and job-creation is not what it has been touted to be. The LNG export to Asia mostly has created a divide between the need for jobs in Canada and the province's pledge to reduce emissions and facilitate cleaner solutions.
In his paper, Hughes reports "the emissions created in producing and liquefying LNG have very real implications for BC meeting its climate targets. Even without any LNG exports, and assuming a 15 per cent reduction in upstream emissions through reduced fugitive methane and electrification, emissions from oil and gas production alone would exceed BC’s 2050 target by 54 per cent, given the CER forecast—and that is if all other sectors of BC’s economy reached zero emissions by 2042."