BY Nathan Cooper
In recent years, anti-Alberta fringe activists have taken direct aim at some of our province’s major industries.
Some of the most damaging attacks rely on a combination of misleading facts and outright lies. There are three myths, in particular, that the NDP government has done little to push back against.
The Myth: Alberta oil is the world’s dirtiest.
The Facts: This has been proven empirically false. There are at least a dozen oilfields in California, plus crude oil blends originating in at least six other countries, that generate a higher level of upstream emissions.
Why It Matters: Upstream emissions are being taken into account as part of the new approval process for Canadian pipelines.
There is no standard for foreign oil being imported from countries like Nigeria, home to the world’s dirtiest oil. It’s a blatant double standard that penalizes Alberta, while rewarding some of the world’s most regressive regimes.
The Myth: Pipelines are dangerous to the environment.
The Facts: New pipelines incorporating modern technology are the most efficient, safest and most environmentally sound way to transport oil.
Why It Matters: The only alternative to pipelines is to overburden our rail lines and highways. Ultimately, this is far more dangerous and will release far greater emissions into our atmosphere.
The Myth: Opposing the carbon tax makes you a “climate denier.”
The Facts: Carbon taxes, whether imposed by Ottawa or Edmonton, are far more efficient at killing jobs than killing emissions.
The tax is currently expected to cost the Canadian economy $10 billion by 2022, but neither the federal or the provincial government can tell us how many tonnes of greenhouse gasses will actually be prevented.
The carbon tax will fail here, as it has in other countries, because it offers too much economic pain for too little environmental gain.
Why It Matters: If we accept that the only path forward is a carbon tax, we are putting all of our eggs in one basket, and blinding ourselves to a world of other possibilities.
Renewable energy is the fastest growing segment of the energy market, and has been since well before the carbon tax. As new technologies become economically viable, this trend will continue.
Of these three myths, the third is likely the most dangerous over the long term. Meddling in the markets with subsidies and corporate welfare schemes is a sure recipe to delay progress and squander resources.
When it comes to fighting climate change, Albertans deserve a government that strives to get real results. As for this “climate denier” nonsense, I’ll leave the myth-making to the fringe activists.
Nathan Cooper is the MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills and a member of the United Conservative Party.
