A needless clash of titans was depicted in Sunday’s (2/12) SF Chronicle Business Report headline article from AP: “Pipeline would make Canada a global player”. Indeed, the $125 billion investing in tapping Tar Sands, NASA’s top climatologist says, would be “game over for the climate”. Yesterday’s 800,000 signatures against the KXL pipeline highlight the colossal collision taking place. This post is about a win-win compromise, a possible way to align tar sands extraction with environmental protection. It may piss off some environmentalists and oil exec’s to suggest this, but perhaps, conceivably, there is some common ground in a low-impact carbon-emission free hydrogen future starting in Canada. Needless to say, it would take a lot from both sides.
The historic “brown collision” of world oil business and those concerned about the global climate disaster is not going to stop, is a lose-lose, is wasteful, damaging and poor business. An energy-addicted world needs to align on a “green dream” to provide ecology-friendly & profitable energy sources quickly. Delay and all will lose.
Canada’s Win-Win is to sequester carbon, export electricity and hydrogen, and clean up the land. IMHO, it is accomplishable and profitable. It would be extremely profitable if the risk costs of carbon were factored in: droughts, heatwaves, floods, underwater cities, famines, etc. are bad business.
Carbon Tax and Hydrogen Subsidies are probably the best business move the oil industry (and climate environmentalists) could make, like getting an addict to pay for switching to medicine. Big Oil, China and Canada could leverage their investment in Alberta, and get paid a premium for transitioning to the next technological platform, perhaps supplying hydrogen to the airlines first.
The ”Carbon Brown” plan leads to Thermogeddon. Dream “Hydrogen Green”, Oh Canada!
[Adapted from a Letter to the Editor, SF Chronicle]
More on the Lose-Lose and the Win-Win below the fold…
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