Alberta Pimps Keystone In NYT Ad, But Admits It's Not Even Remotely Close On GHG Reduction Pledges [View all]

[hatrack]

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The Alberta government ad takes pains to make the case for the province’s environmental responsibility. It reiterates previous arguments that Alberta is financing more clean energy projects and is the first North American jurisdiction to charge large emitters $15 a tonne on carbon.

The ad focuses on the economic benefits of Keystone, including 42,100 jobs during the construction phase. It also makes the case, suggested previously by Redford and others, that the oil sands have become been unfairly scapegoated despite much larger emitters burning coal on both sides of the border and around the world.

“Greenhouse gas emissions from all the oil sands in Alberta, Canada, make up just over one-tenth of one per cent of the world’s emissions,” said the ad.

Provincial officials, however, have previously conceded Alberta isn’t even close to meeting its goals for reducing greenhouse gases. The province has pledged to reduce emissions by 50 megatonnes a year by 2020 but has averaged just over five tonnes a year since 2007.

Ed. - emphasis added.

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/alberta-places-ad-in-new-york-times-to-pitch-keystone-xl-pipeline/article9854810/