B.C. can’t afford the Coastal GasLink pipeline

The actions of the Canadian government against the Unist’ot’en camp and in support of the TransCanada Coastal GasLink pipeline are in direct opposition to Canada’s international commitment and B.C. legislation to halt climate change. In violating these commitments and deploying the RCMP against Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and supporters, the B.C. government is acting against the interest of all of its residents.

Climate change is among the greatest threats to Canadian livelihoods and well-being. As reported in The Vancouver Sun, the average temperature of B.C. has risen by 1.4 degrees C since 1900, contributing to massive forest fires, reduced snow pack, plummeting salmon stocks, pest outbreaks and coastal flooding, to name only a few of the changes impacting the everyday lives of B.C. residents.

The natural gas carried by the Coastal GasLink pipeline will contribute directly to climate change.

According to TransCanada, the completed Coastal GasLink pipeline will transport up to five billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per day. When burned, this natural gas is equivalent to 585.5 million pounds of CO2 per day, which is equivalent to approximately 13 per cent of Canada’s daily greenhouse gas emissions in 2017.

Such a contribution would further undermine Canada’s shaky promises to address climate change. Canada made an international commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels when the government ratified the Paris climate accord in 2016. The B.C. government made a domestic commitment to reduce emissions by 40 per cent of 2007 levels by 2030 when it passed the Climate Change Accountability Act in 2007.

On a global level, the damaging effects of climate change are projected to cost the world $10.3 trillion by 2050. Canada cannot afford this, the world cannot afford this.

The Coastal GasLink project may enrich TransCanada investors in the short-term, but it contributes to huge societal costs. While the Coastal GasLink project received its environmental assessment approval from the B.C. government, this process has been widely criticized as being subject to industry bias and not founded on strong science.

In this case, the science is clear and unequivocal: the transport of LNG through this pipeline will have severe negative consequences to the global climate and the local environment.

For one, its placement at the headwaters of the Skeena River will further disrupt the culturally, economically and ecologically important sockeye salmon run, which is already at a fraction of its former population size.

By physically opposing the construction of this pipeline through their unceded traditional territories, the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and supporters are defending us all.

Research has shown that Indigenous communities are protecting a substantial portion of global forests that are responsible for sequestering up to 30 per cent of carbon emissions. Many of these communities around the world are facing horrific violence from colonial governments attempting to develop their land for short-term economic gain.

This violence motivated the creation of the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Premier John Horgan passed as legislation in B.C.

Despite this legislation, Horgan has stated his clear intent to continue deploying the RCMP to protect the interests of a private corporation. If B.C. wants to truly be a leader in global human rights and fighting climate change, then it needs to protect its citizens, including and especially Indigenous people. Now is the time to invest in jobs and infrastructure of the future, not support projects that will irrevocably erode the quality of life for B.C. residents.