Open letter: Why BC's LNG is not ethical

March 26, 2022
Tracey Saxby

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Over 20,400 citizens have signed a petition calling to stop Woodfibre LNG. Photo: Jim Martinello

To: Members of the Legislative Assembly

For the last eight years, I have been one of thousands of citizens standing in opposition to the proposed Woodfibre LNG and FortisBC pipeline projects near Squamish BC.

I am also a marine scientist, and work professionally with governments, universities, and organizations worldwide as a Visual Science Communication consultant.

This coming Monday, the BC Liberals have brought forward a motion to be debated: "Be it resolved that this House support B.C.’s transitional, ethical LNG industry to meet the needs of British Columbians and the world."

I call on you to reject this motion as LNG is neither transitional nor ethical. Here are a few key reasons why:

1. Corruption, lies, and scandals

2. LNG exports will increase fracking, trample Indigenous Rights, and drive caribou extinction

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Fracking in northeast BC is trampling Indigenous rights and killing caribou. Map: Adriana DiSilvestro, UBC

3. LNG is a climate disaster

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Comparing BC's greenhouse gas emissions to what emissions reductions need to be to limit warming to 1.5° Celsius. Graphic: Visual Science

In conclusion:

LNG is still a fossil fuel that will increase fracking and lock in climate pollution for decades. The narrative that we can burn more fossil fuels to solve climate change is a lie.

While oil and gas companies and political parties are opportunistically pointing to the Russia-Ukraine War as an excuse to increase fracking and LNG exports, this crisis instead highlights the extreme price volatility of oil and gas, as well as the vulnerability of fossil fuel infrastructure to targeted attacks. It will take at least 5 years before any new LNG export projects are up and running in B.C. In the meantime, the European Commission plans to rapidly scale up renewables and energy efficiency measures, divesting from gas to ensure future energy security.

The climate crisis is already impacting our communities and our health: deadly heat waves, wildfires, drought, floods, crop failure, fisheries collapse, and costly evacuations and infrastructure damage. The catastrophic events we experienced in 2021 killed lives and destroyed entire communities and critical infrastructure.

"The social and economic benefits of accelerating clean energy transitions are huge, and the costs of inaction are immense."
— Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director (see quote)

"Starting today, every action, every decision matters. Worldwide action is more urgent than previously assessed."
— IPCC Working Group II (see presentation)

I call on you to reject this motion as LNG is neither transitional nor ethical.

My Sea to Sky is one of more than 350+ diverse organizations and businesses that have signed an open letter calling on the B.C. government to confront the climate emergency and undertake ten urgent climate actions. We reiterate our support for this letter, and urge you to implement these ten actions.

I would be pleased to share the wealth of research that we have compiled over the last eight years. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or would like to learn more.

Sincerely,

Tracey Saxby, BA/BSc (Hons I)
Partner at Visual Science
Executive Director of My Sea to Sky
Phone: (604) 892-7501
Email: tracey@myseatosky.org