Why I oppose Woodfibre LNG:
The science: Climate scientists, backed by NASA and eighteen scientific associations world-wide, have finally convinced our world leaders of our dire situation. Unless we rigorously reduce manmade greenhouse gases (GHGs), our global temperatures will continue to rise, bringing more destructive, climatic change. One important study linked 400,000 deaths worldwide to climate change each year, and estimated deaths to increase to over 600,000 per year by 2030. In addition, costs to infrastructure and loss of species will spiral you into depression.
Hot off the Paris COP21, our governments say we have to dramatically reduce our fossil fuel addiction. Where does this leave LNG? News flash: Natural gas is a fossil fuel, and they get it by “fracking.”
Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) is an energy intensive process that poisons millions of litres of water in the process, leaking that poison into aquifers, and creates seismic instability. It gets worse. Sure, natural gas produces nearly half the carbon dioxide per unit of energy compared with coal. But that’s only half the story. It’s called “fugitive methane.”
As the Smithsonian states, “[Methane] is about 30 times better at holding in the atmosphere’s heat compared with carbon dioxide. So if enough methane leaks during production, natural gas’s slim advantage over other fuels could be wiped out.” The short of it? It’s dirtier than coal.
And the facility itself? Blowing over Squamish will be 80,000 tonnes of GHGs every year, along with 20 tonnes of nitrogen oxides and 17 tonnes of sulphur oxides, according to a Woodfibre LNG information sheet.
The economics: There’s a glut in world supplies of oil and gas and LNG prices are right behind. OilPrice.com has just said the LNG glut is worse than oil.
In our Squamish council last week, vice-president Byng Giraud said, when asked about the falling LNG prices, that he’d seek to reduce costs.
We all know when a company or corporation says they need to cut costs, safety is first on the chopping block. Squamish citizens, our families, friends and community shouldn’t be put at further risk in Woodfibre LNG’s “cost-benefit analysis.”
The ethics: Woodfibre LNG has lost all social license with this project. The rest of the world can’t make reductions except B.C. Our moral duty is to reject this project.
These are only a few of the reasons why we oppose Woodfibre LNG. Squamish can do better.
P.S. Look around. We already have.
Elijah Dann
Squamish
