səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) territories (VANCOUVER, B.C.) – As the Eby government ramps up fracked gas production in the name of economic protectionism, and liquified natural gas (LNG) tankers for export start leaving B.C., Stand.earth has found that neither the province nor industry are moving nearly quickly enough to mitigate climate-deadly methane emissions.
Tackling methane emissions is the cheapest and easiest way to reduce climate pollution from the oil and gas sector. The report, Methane: LNG’s dirty secret describes clear, achievable policy recommendations for achieving near zero emissions by 2030.
“As global warming exacerbated wildfires rage across Canada, upending communities and destroying livelihoods, it’s time to address a hidden climate-killer: methane emissions from fracking and LNG,” said Sven Biggs, Canadian Oil and Gas Programs Director with Stand.earth. “As the federal and provincial government disregards the science, which clearly says we must stop expanding fossil fuel extraction, we need to go into triage to mitigate the worst harm LNG will cause.”
LNG is made from fracked methane gas, a highly polluting fossil fuel that is 86 times worse than carbon dioxide for warming our planet. The Montney Formation in northeastern B.C. is Canada’s largest carbon bomb and the third largest methane bomb in the world.
Expanding British Columbia’s LNG infrastructure will hold back Canada’s climate commitments, and lock-in about 1 million tonnes of GHG emissions each year for decades to come. Whether extracting, transporting, or using LNG, methane gas leaks into the atmosphere. These leaks go massively under-reported. Oil and gas extraction represents just 3% of B.C.’s GDP and less than .5% of jobs in our economy but are responsible for 20% of the province’s climate emissions.
“Stronger regulation of methane pollution from oil and gas extraction is not only needed, it is a doable and cost effective way to fight climate change,” said Dr. Devyani Singh, Investigative Researcher with the Stand Research Group. “In this brief, we have laid out the steps that the B.C. government needs to take to reach near zero upstream oil and gas methane emissions by 2030. By adopting these policy recommendations the Eby government will be signaling that they are ready to hold heavy polluters to account.”
The report proposes five recommendations that must be implemented if we want to reduce near-term climate breakdown:
Monthly leak detection and repairs
Eliminate routine venting and flaring
Switch to low and zero-emission technology
Comprehensive Monitoring and Reporting
Uphold the polluter pay principle
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Read the report here
Debunked LNG myths can be seen here.
Contact
Sven Biggs, Canadian Oil and Gas Programs Director – Stand.earth +1 778-882-8354
sven@stand.earth (Pacific Time)
Arin de Hoog, Communications, Oil, Gas and Shipping – Stand.earth. +1 613-978-7329
arin.dehoog@stand.earth (Eastern Time)