Photo by Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy.
The Council of Canadians Fredericton chapter hosted a talk by Gordon Laxer this evening on his book After the Sands: Energy and Ecological Security for Canadians.
Fredericton chapter activist Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy tells us there were about 50-60 people at the public forum.
During Laxer’s talk, Lubbe-D’Arcy tweeted:
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Gordon Laxer, writer of @AfterTheSands in Fredericton tonight. A strategy to protect the future of sands workers. #nbpoli #energysecurity -
Laxer: Carbon emissions from production of oil and gas in Canada are higher than that of all cars. @AfterTheSands -
Laxer: Canada-enough conventional non-fracked oil for domestic use but can’t control emissions if no control of carbon fuel exports -
Laxer: Alberta has 10% higher carbon emissions than Ontario and Quebec combined (5X higher/capita), due to oil & gas sector. -
Canada is top 10 emitter with relatively small population. China actually has 3x per capita investment in green infrastructure. -
Laxer: Curbing carbon emissions should be fair to all not just the rich; @AfterTheSands outlines a fair strategy #carbon -
Energy East would be 2nd largest pipeline in North America & have to remain in service for 30 years to pay for its building costs! -
A unit of energy saved creates more #jobs than a unit of energy extracted; Time to transition away from fossilfuel extraction
Laxer has argued, “Long-term, energy security is best gained by phasing out carbon fuel use and relying on electricity produced by renewables.”
He highlights a “first step would be to cap and then phase out the Sands over fifteen years, starting with the oldest projects. Canada can meet its target of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent if it phases out Sands oil and relies instead on our slowly falling output of conventional oil and natural gas as transition carbon fuels to get Canadians to a low-carbon future run on renewables.”
Laxer has also noted, “For years, I called for oil pipelines to bring Western Canadian oil to Eastern Canadians.” But he writes, “Will [the Energy East pipeline] ever be converted and built? Even if it is, most of the oil it would carry will be for export. TransCanada and the Irving group are planning an ice-free, deep-water port in Saint John to load the world’s largest oil tankers with Western Canadian and shale oil to be carried to the globe’s most lucrative markets.”
Tonight’s public forum was part of a 5-community tour with upcoming stops in:
Saint John – October 26
Halifax – October 27
Mahone Bay – October 28
The PEI chapter hosted Laxer last night.
The Guelph, Centre Wellington, Thunder Bay, Hamilton, and Toronto chapters organized After the Sands book tour stops in this past spring.
To follow Laxer on Twitter go to @AfterTheSands
