With productive discussions continuing in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia, it’s no wonder the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) is sharpening its sights on liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a reasonable bridge fuel to a carbon-free future.
First, here’s what non-Suzuki officials are saying about LNG and the vital role it will play in an energy transition:
B.C. Premier David Eby recently stated LNG continues to have a role to play in the energy transition. “Our partners in LNG Canada, for example – and other major projects – are going to continue to be our partners,” he said.
Federal Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, according to Bloomberg, has observed a U.S. decision to pause approvals of new licenses to export LNG will create opportunity for Canada’s sector, “on the basis of Canada offering the lowest carbon intensity natural gas in the world and ensuring we’re linking it to the displacement of heavier hydrocarbons like coal.”
And LNG Canada’s corporate relations vice-president Teresa Waddington recently described shipping distances to Asia from Kitimat as about 50 per cent shorter than the route to Asia from the U.S. Gulf Coast, part of the reason GHG emissions from LNG Canada’s Kitimat operation will be less than those of any facility of a similar size operating in the world, and 35 per cent lower than the world’s best-performing facilities.
In Asia, the chief executive of the Asian Natural Gas and Energy Association recently wrote the U.S. Secretary of Energy, stating: “Without sufficient access to gas imports, energy security and the energy transition will be elusive for the people of Southeast Asia, and that in turn places at risk the ambitious decarbonization plans spearheaded by Japan.”
What’s DSF’s reaction to all this constructive talk of reducing the world’s carbon footprint through LNG as a bridge fuel to a clean energy future? If your bingo card says, ‘issuing a report, Burning Bridge, to garner public support for choking off reasonable, proven, scalable baseload (24-7) LNG supplies,’ then you’re unfortunately right.
But here are some facts: Since 2010, coal-to-gas switching has saved around 500 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of putting an extra 200 million electric vehicles running on zero-carbon electricity on the road over the same period.
Coal-to-gas switching in America’s power sector has seen CO2 emissions decline by more than 30 per cent between 2005 and 2019, despite the economy having grown by 28 per cent. And electricity sector emissions in Alberta dropped by nearly half between 2015 and 2020, largely a result of coal-to-gas switching.
It seems the folks at DSF need to update their thinking and commit to a genuine and timely transition to a clean energy future – and they should do it now.
Cody Battershill is a Calgary realtor and founder / spokesperson for CanadaAction.ca, a volunteer-initiated group that supports Canadian energy development and the environmental, social and economic benefits that come with it.
