BC currently exports more CO2 emitting fossil fuels than Alberta and if all of BC's plans and all of Alberta's pipelines both to get built, BC would be even further ahead.
John Baird said yesterday, "We're the only country in the world that's committed to getting out of the dirty coal electricity generation business." Of course he didn't mention that Canada, especially BC, exports most of its coal to Asia so it can be turned into atmospheric CO2 over there.
As The Dogwood Initiative's article 'Coal, BC's Dirty Secret' says, "Canada's justification that this coal is being burned elsewhere is disingenuous, the accounting rules veil which jurisdictions are truly responsible for producing and exporting toxic products that warm the planet and threaten the future of our children and grandchildren. It’s similar to Colombian cocaine cartels or Asian heroin growers claiming they have no responsibility, because most of their addictive products are consumed in other countries. Imagine if they said, 'We don’t use it, we just sell it.'”
He didn't mention that coal is by far the dirtiest fossil fuel, and gives off by far the most carbon dioxide per unit of energy generated thereby making coal the worst of the worst of greenhouse gas emitters. British Columbians are proud of their province's green image. For the most part, B.C.’s rapidly growing, multi-billion-dollar coal industry has gotten a free pass probably because it conflicts with Lotus Land's carefully cultivated green brand.
Some of that cultured ignorance is unraveling now with the recent Port of Vancouver's controversial passing of regulations that would double its current coal exports. The coal now planned to be exported from Port Metro Vancouver would release approximately 110 Mt of heat trapping pollution into the atmosphere making Metro Vancouver the single largest exporter of global warming pollution in North America. By way of comparison, if the Northern Gateway pipeline were built, the exported oil would pump 7O Mt CO2/yr into to the atmosphere. In short, Port Metro Vancouver's coal export proposals are just as serious a threat to the climate as pipeline plans.
As Dr. Erica Frank, a professor of public health at the University of British Columbia, points out, "The trouble with coal includes the fact that at one end of the supply chain, it causes invisible water pollution. At the other end, it vanishes in smoke, adding to our climate-change woes." Then there's the health risk and respiratory health concerns along the entire rail journey of increased diesel fumes and of coal dust from trains and stockpiles near homes in North Vancouver.
There's plenty of deceivers performing in Canada's Coal Follies. There's plenty more in the rest of Canada's fossil fuel industry too. Plenty of well intentioned but mis-informed environmentalists too. In the coming days Christy Clark's crackpot budget, financed by bogus fracked gas and Site C dam deceptions, will be the focus along with why the it's the water destroying spills that are the tar sands biggest nemesis and more on how King Coal is BC's Dirty Secret.
