The Canadian province of British
Columbia (BC) is shaping up to be one of the worst actors in the global
dash for gas, facilitating Indigenous rights violations and climate
chaos while they try to stake out a reputation as progressive leaders on
both.
Columbia (BC) is shaping up to be one of the worst actors in the global
dash for gas, facilitating Indigenous rights violations and climate
chaos while they try to stake out a reputation as progressive leaders on
both.
A study
released last month from the International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD) and Environmental Defence Canada found BC gave out at
least CAD 830 million in fossil fuel subsidies in the 2017-2018 fiscal
year, and has amassed at least $3.1 billion in outstanding royalty
credits (these are foregone royalties that are to be paid back to
industry instead of going to fund public services). The bulk of these
supports have been designed specifically to boost the province’s liquid
natural gas (LNG) sector, the vast majority of which is fracked gas. The
provincial government introduced many of them this April, and they are
handily the most generous among Canadian provinces.