As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raises questions about global energy security, Canada’s environment minister is rebuking Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s assertion Canada must “get some pipelines built” to help “defang” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“There is clearly a crisis in Ukraine, just like we’re slowly emerging from the COVID crisis, and there will be other crises in the coming months and years,” Steven Guilbeault told Canada’s National Observer. “But climate change will not go away, and if we’re thinking we can solve the crisis by exacerbating another one, those people who think that are clearly mistaken.”
Since the invasion began, Kenney has tweeted repeatedly about how Canadian oil should replace “dictator oil” in global energy markets and how dead pipeline projects, such as Keystone XL, have helped Russia build wealth to carry out this invasion.
“The solution to global energy problems is not to increase our dependency on fossil fuels,” said Guilbeault. The best way to improve the energy security of European countries is to simply reduce dependence on oil and gas “regardless of where it’s coming from,” he said.
Even if Canada could build more pipelines to increase oil and gas capacity, this would take “a number of years” and wouldn’t address the crisis people in Ukraine and Europe are now facing, he added.
The real solution, he says, is to “quickly deploy renewables and cleantech” to reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas.
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Canada will now ban crude oil imports from Russia to increase pressure on Putin, Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced Monday.
In a news release, Wilkinson noted Canada’s last import of Russian crude oil was in 2019, according to the Canada Energy Regulator.
Because Canada’s imports of Russian crude oil are negligible, the ban is “largely symbolic” and its real importance will be whether it pressures other countries to follow suit, said Kathryn Harrison, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia.
“There is clearly a crisis in Ukraine… “There is clearly a crisis in Ukraine.
Harrison stated that Europe is dependent on Russia for over 40% of its natural gas and 25% of its crude oils, which is different from Canada. This makes them both vulnerable to restrictions on imports and exports. For Russia to turn off the taps in response to the West’s financial sanctions “would truly be an act of desperation” and unlikely, she said.
In question period on Monday, Conservative MPs echoed Kenney’s assertions, including MP Michael Chong, who said Canada can help “European democracies by replacing Russian gas with Canadian natural gas” and called on the government to “commit to fixing our broken pipeline approval process.”
This notion that Europe will want to replace Russian oil and gas with fossil fuels from elsewhere “is not a slam dunk,” said Harrison, who noted Europe had plans to get off Russian oil and gas before Ukraine was invaded.
Europe will face a gas shortage if it does not act immediately. It will take years to approve and build new terminals for liquefied natural Gas (LNG), and similar projects, she said.
“Making investments in new fossil fuel facilities that won’t be built in the time they need and then will be white elephants as the continent shifts away from fossil fuels is not an obvious solution for Europe,” said Harrison, referring to the European Union’s pledge to Reduce emissions by 55 percent By 2030, levels below 1990
Instead of Canadian oil and gas coming to Europe’s rescue, she predicts short-term solutions like turning down thermostats to conserve energy since a majority of Russian gas imported to Europe is used to heat homes and buildings.
Harrison said the most obvious solution is to shift to renewable energy as it is “arguably quicker to deploy than building new terminals or new pipelines.”
Last week, Germany stopped certification of a natural gaz pipeline that would transport Russian gas to the EU.
Shortly after, on Feb. 28, Reuters reported Germany aims to speed up its wind and solar energy projects to reduce the country’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
Harrison stated that in the short term, Germany may use more coal to meet their needs for renewables.
She said that another option is to prolong the operation of nuclear power stations that are scheduled for closure.
On Sunday, Germany’s economy and climate minister, Robert Habeck, floated the idea of extending the lifespans of coal and nuclear plants. Harrison stated that it is unlikely Germany will extend their two remaining nuclear plants’ lives, but the fact Habeck, who is a member of the anti-nuclear Green Party said this, shows Europeans are considering alternatives rather than buying fossil fuels from other countries.
Harrison said that the idea that Canadian oil can save Europe from Russia’s dependence is not as plausible as Kenney and many Conservative MPs would like us to believe.
She says there is no market analysis to suggest the rest of the world wants Canada’s oil, particularly because Canada’s heavy oil requires more energy to refine than the “abundance of lighter sources.”
Along with Kenney’s many tweets pushing for pipelines, Chong and Conservative MPs Marilyn Gladu, Greg McLean, Gérard Deltell and interim leader Candice Bergen echoed this sentiment in the House of Commons.
McLean claimed Canada “sends $500 million per year to Russia to import their oil” and chose to “fund the oppressive regime in Russia” instead of approving Canadian pipelines.
It’s no secret the federal government bought the Trans Mountain pipeline in 2018 and Wilkinson told two MPs their claims the government spends hundreds of millions on Russian oil are incorrect before repeating that the last Russian import was in 2019.
These types of statements “misdiagnose the energy security challenges and seem blind to the escalating climate emergency,” George Hoberg, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy, told Canada’s National ObserverIn an email
It’s imperative to keep the climate crisis front and centre when considering the energy implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hoberg wrote.
“The same day that Russian cruise missiles were slamming into Freedom Square, the IPCC released its latest alarming report on the impacts of climate change,” he said. “From the climate emergency perspective, the notion of increasing Canadian oil production is clearly a non-starter.”
Natasha Bulowski / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer
