Investing in oil & gas infrastructure at this critical moment is unconscionable

Reference Number
74
Text

To whom it may concern:

The proposed Bay du Nord offshore oil drilling project, which is backed by Norwegian oil giant Equinor (net worth approx. $66,000,000,000), is purported to be an important economic blessing to the citizens and workers of Newfoundland, and that the emissions intensity of the project itself would be incredibly low.  This is absolutely untrue and realization of this project would further cement the path we are on: mass suffering and eventual extinction of the human species due to creating an unlivable environment on planet Earth.  In order to avoid this dystopian future, we must stop extracting and burning fossil fuels.

The economic benefits to Newfoundlanders and Canadians will be vastly overshadowed by the damage caused due to increased climate disasters.  Canada is warming at twice the global rate and we are currently on a path of up to 11°C warming by the turn of the century (Overview of Climate Change in Canada (nrcan.gc.ca (https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/changements-climatiques/impacts-adaptation/overview-climate-change-canada/10321) ). Canadians, like all citizens of the world, will be forced to pay the steep economic price of adaptation and recovery while oil giants like Equinor continue to profit.  We very recently witnessed this with the flooding in BC and on the East Coast this past November (2021), which have been studied by event attribution scientists and shown to be directly linked to the climate crisis. Even if the Bay du Nord project itself cannot be directly linked to adverse weather effects in real time like these have been, the idea that we would increase our country's oil production as the world needs to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible is frankly suicidal.

This fossil fuel extraction infrastructure is set to be in operation for 30 years - which would put us past 2050, when we have pledged to be at net-zero emissions.  Carbon capture technology is not going to be able to compensate for the emissions we are currently producing.  It is ridiculous to advertise that this project will offset "dirtier" sources of fossil fuels when renewable energy is ready, scalable, and clean.  If the tap in your bathroom was on and the sink was overflowing, why would you start mopping the floor before turning off the tap?  The only possible way forward for Canada, like the rest of the world, is to leave the fossil fuels in the ground.  Let's turn off the tap and come up with innovative and sustainable solutions for mopping up our mess: the carbon in the atmosphere.

I call on you, Minister Guilbeault, and every public servant involved in this proposal to do everything in your power to cancel this proposed Bay du Nord project, and instead make a massive push for offshore wind power and other renewable sources of energy. Recently, the United States government completed a record-breaking wind energy auction for offshore wind leases. Canada has plentiful reserves of renewable hydroelectric energy but diversifying our portfolio will be necessary to achieve deep and sustainable decarbonization, since additional electricity will be required to meet the needs of our society as we electrify transportation and building heating. Offshore wind power must play a key role in this transition and will provide greater benefit to the people of Newfoundland than the Bay du Nord project, without the risks associated with fossil fuels.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Submitted by
Rebecca Marchand-Smith
Phase
N/A
Public Notice
N/A
Attachment(s)
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Comment Tags
Climate change Weather Events / Flooding / Hazards General opposition to project Human Health and Well-Being Project Alternatives Local Population
Date Submitted
2022-03-04 - 11:12 AM
Date modified: