Why Are People Cheering Alberta’s Climate Plan?
Notley didn’t slay province’s CO2 dragon. She blinked, aiding pipelines and bitumen.
Albert Premier Rachel Notley: on close inspection, her NDP government’s plan is geared to warming public to new pipelines. Photo: Dave Cournoyer via Flickr. Creative Commons licensed.
But now, after seeing how the plan was debuted in Paris and framed in the media, I think there’s need for an honest talk about what just happened in Alberta. I’m afraid that once you strip off the accessories, Alberta’s plan is just a naked grasp at social license for new pipelines — and those pipelines remain as big a threat to our future as ever.
When the Orange Wave broke over Alberta, I felt a surge of optimism. However, just as President Obama failed to bring transformative change to the banking sector in the U.S. during a time of economic crisis and opportunity, NDP Premier Rachel Notley has failed to seize her opportunity for transformative change in the Alberta energy sector. In fact, her government seems to have dug in to support the status quo.
Below, my take on some of the highlights of the Alberta climate plan, and why it doesn’t justify a stand down in the fossil fuel export fight.
Ending coal fired power by 2030
Alberta’s climate plan calls for an end to coal fired power, a great move with widespread public support. Two thirds of the province’s coal plants would have shut down by 2030 under rules put in place by Stephen Harper, and by closing the rest Notley has hastened the end of the dirtiest form of electricity production in the province.
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