Ian Anderson is the Canadian head of the Texas multinational energy company Kinder Morgan. Right now he’s pushing an expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline which has been controversial in the exact same way that the Keystone XL was. It’s a big environmental risk for very little reward to anyone not making big money at Kinder Morgan. Canadians have been staging sit-ins and protesting the proposed expansion the same as activists in the United States did. One of the strongest arguments against expanding the pipeline is the idea that this means hampering Canada’s climate change goals. Anderson was speaking at the Vancouver Board of Trade meeting when he addressed the subject of climate change. He wants you to know that he is not a scientist.
Anderson said there are two distinct paths of climate science and he wouldn't "judge one path versus the other," as he touted the economic and employment benefits of the project.
"We won't all agree on the science or the degree to which man influences greenhouse gases and climate change," he said. "I've read the science on both sides and don’t pretend to be smart enough to know which is right."
I would propose this: Ian Anderson hasn’t read the “science” on much of anything. Ian Anderson may not be “smart enough” to understand the science in a climate study, but he is smart enough to know that his statement means nothing. The “two distinct paths” here are making decisions to lessen the impact humans have on the climate—or not. If you follow up that statement with one saying that while we agree that humans affect the climate adversely, however to what degree is debatable, you are acknowledging that there is only one way. By expanding our impact on the climate via more emissions, you are saying that you are going to increase our impact.
The project is expected to generate more than one million tonnes of emissions annually as it opens up access to Canadian oil for overseas buyers in Asia and Europe, creating more than $46 billion in government revenue for provincial and federal governments along the way, and at least 15,000 jobs per year during construction.
"We live in a highly competitive world," said Jeff Gaulin, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), the primary sponsor of Thursday's event. "The status quo is no longer good enough. Without more capital and more infrastructure projects such as pipelines, we won't be able to sustain that type of prosperity and jobs."
Sounds familiar? It’s the same argument they made for the Keystone XL.
Vancouver, home to Canada’s largest port, is concerned global warming will affect the coastal city as studies such as a recent United Nations report show global sea levels could rise by as much as 7 meters (23 feet) with the melting of the ice sheet covering Greenland. About 70% of residents are opposed to the Trans Mountain expansion, with the risk to the environment cited as the top concern, according to a survey on the city’s website that started in June.
Eh? At stake here is tripling the amount of crude Canada ships out into the world. You can read more about the Trans Mountain pipeline over at Lefty Coaster’s diary, here.