Canada is the world’s 4th largest oil producer. When our national energy agency, the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), published its most recent report on December 9, 2021, projecting the future path of Canada’s oil and gas production to 2050, it showed that our oil production will continue to expand to 2040, with no significant decline over the next thirty years.
No environmental assessment or public inquiry process of any kind in Canada has ever answered the crucial question, which is whether the planned growth of Canada’s oil production to 2030 and 2040 is compatible with keeping increased warming to 1.5°C. For the past nine years the Canada Energy Regulator has turned a blind eye to that fundamental question, which remains unanswered.
After mounting criticism from a number of Canada’s leading energy economists and climate scientists, on December 16, 2021, the Federal Minister of Natural Resources belatedly instructed the CER to conduct an internal study to determine what future level of oil production in Canada would be safely aligned with a global effort to limit warming to 1.5°C.
The CER’s study has not yet been released to the public. It may become available within the next week or two. This discussion paper looks at the overwhelming importance of the issues and what is at stake for all of us.
Click the yellow button to get the discussion paper (opens as a PDF in your browser).