East Coast gas export facilities won't help Europe. They will damage our climate.
New East Coast export facilities won't help Europe.
The timelines don't match.
The gas industry is trying to get several East Coast LNG projects – previously stalled, rejected or cancelled – expedited and approved. Projects up for discussion include Pieridae Energy’s Goldboro LNG in Nova Scotia and Repsol SA’s Saint John LNG in New Brunswick. Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson says either would take up to five years to get up and running. But research shows that Europe's energy needs will largely be resolved before an East Coast export facility is up and running.
A study by consultancy Artelys, based on energy system modelling, shows that existing European energy assets paired with energy efficiency and electrification measures can bring a complete phase-out of Russian gas by 2025. No new gas infrastructure is needed.
Another study, by think-tanks including Ember and E3G, shows how ramping up clean energy coupled with energy efficiency can replace 75% of Russian gas imports to Europe by 2025, and that new gas infrastructure is unnecessary for Europe to wean itself off Russian gas.
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The Zero Emission Think Tank found that Russian fossil fuel imports to Germany can be replaced by October 2022, with cheaper renewable energy and energy efficiency measures - resulting in energy independence and cost savings for consumers.
These studies illustrate that Europe's energy needs will be largely resolved at least two years before any new East Coast export facility is operating. New East Coast LNG export facilities risk becoming stranded assets in a world accelerating the transition to renewable energy like solar and wind — options that are far more cost effective and don't damage the climate.
A message from Ukraine
"We urge Canadians — do not be fooled by the gas industry’s attempt to cloak expansion in the guise of 'helping' Europe. The gas industry only wants to help its bottom line at the expense of our planet. That’s why it’s ignoring the complete mismatch between the timeline of Europe’s energy crisis and how long it would take to build a new LNG export facility on the East Coast."
— Svitlana Romanko, an environmental lawyer and Stand With Ukraine campaign lead, and Oleh Savytskyi, climate and energy policy expert with Ukrainian Climate Network, Stand With Ukraine campaign manager.
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Natural gas is not a 'bridge' to clean energy.
As this study by German economists and academics concludes: natural gas expansion is an obstacle to a clean energy future. It is not a bridge technology.
It is a fossil fuel with significantly underestimated climate impacts. LNG will not only be exported for use in Europe, but will also be used as the fuel for the tanker ships transporting the liquefied fossil gas. Tankers burning LNG can emit 70% to 82% more life-cycle GHGs than using marine gas oil.
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When exported to Europe, one primary end-use of LNG will be to heat buildings. A recent study showed that the annual emissions of one gas boiler for home heating was more than taking 7 transatlantic flights.
The economic opportunities in renewable energy far outstrip fossil fuels.
An added plus of renewable energy sources: they won't cause extreme wildfire, heatwaves, or floods. And they don't fuel war.
Jobs in Canada's clean energy sector are expected to grow by nearly 50% by 2030, while jobs in Canada's fossil fuel sector are expected to drop by 9% in the same period.
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By 2030, clean energy will make up 29% of Canada’s total energy GDP, up from 22% in 2020.
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The clean energy sector’s GDP is forecast to grow 58% by 2030 — in contrast, fossil fuel will grow only 9%.
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The same report found Atlantic Canada could see 27,100 jobs in clean energy by 2030.
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In Nova Scotia, the number of people employed in wind power is expected to double.
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New Brunswick could see a 30% growth in jobs in low-carbon machinery.
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In Alberta, jobs in wind power are expected to increase 22% each year.
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For every CAD $1 million invested in energy efficiency, 16 to 30 jobs are created.
A report by Cambridge Econometrics, found that across G7 countries, policies designed to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels to net-zero will create a windfall of benefits including:
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Annual energy bills would fall 25%, or $487 USD per capita,
by 2030 -
In 2035 residents of G7 countries would spend 44% less on their energy, saving $824 USD each year.
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1,920,000 new jobs created by 2025
