Climate Change has been a dominant topic in the 2019 Federal election campaign. It appears Canadians want something done but we have yet to hear any leader articulate a realistic end state. If that end state is for zero emissions and the climate to hereinafter remain stable, then I offer that the geologic record indicates that such a state has never occurred nor would it be natural. Presumably the main public concern is over the role of CO2 affecting the rate and magnitude of change. It is [Read more]
Canadian pipeline detractors are turning a blind eye to the offshoring of carbon emissions
Last weeks federal government approval of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and the refurbishment of Enbridge’s Line 3 set off a flurry of responses from self branded environmentalists. While all expressed varying degrees of outrage, many pledged civil disobedience. It would appear they have conviction that they know better than regulators and industry professionals. Referencing a sampling of published opinion pieces in several Canadian news organizations, the common theme [Read more]
Global demand for oil is rising and the world would benefit from more Alberta oil, not less
The oil price collapse has wreaked havoc across the Alberta economy. Since it began many individuals have expressed their opinion that the end of the hydrocarbon era is upon us and that we need to diversify the provincial economy away from oil. Undoubtedly the government should seek to diversify its income; however it is premature to be writing off oil as an industry. It is true that oil demand per unit of GDP has been falling across the OECD for decades and it is also dropping on a per [Read more]