Hannah McKinnon2013-05-18T16:31:56-04:00Hannah McKinnonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.ca/author/index.php?author=hannah-mckinnonCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Hannah McKinnonGood old fashioned elbow grease.New Website Launches to Counter Industry's Tar Sands Spintag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.32813822013-05-16T09:02:40-04:002013-05-16T09:03:07-04:00Hannah McKinnonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-mckinnon/TarSandsRealityCheck.com, which launches today, offers fact-checked, easy to understand information about Canada's tar sands. Created by academics, economists, scientists and international environmental organizations, the website counters misinformation spread by government and Big Oil's glossy, inaccurate PR campaigns.
Canada was once known as a leader for environmental responsibility. Today our global reputation is in tatters thanks to the reckless expansion of the tar sands, which continues to be Canada's black eye.
Our out of control expansion of the tar sands is why we abandoned international promises on climate change. It's why our environmental laws have been trampled, and why the health of impacted First Nations communities is being ignored. It's the reason our scientists are muzzled. It's also why our economy is precariously tied to the volatile price of oil. (Everything that booms can go bust). And it's why government and industry have the pedal to the metal on a full-fledged PR and lobby campaign in Canada, the US and Europe designed to spread misinformation to try to convince the world that the tar sands aren't all that bad.
Canadians deserve the truth about the tar sands. We need to look past the spin. It's time for a reality check.
That's why Environmental Defence joined academics, scientists, economists and other environmental organizations to launch TarSandsRealityCheck.com. This website presents the 25 most important facts you need to know about the tar sands.
TarSandsRealityCheck.com provides up-to-date, peer-reviewed,easy to understand information about the impacts of the tar sands on our climate, economy, water, air, land, animals and communities.
Big Oil's PR machine doesn't want Canadians to know facts that could get in the way of their bottom line. But the truth is the tar sands are Canada's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas pollution, and they're standing in the way of a future based on safe, clean and sustainable energy that Canadians (and the world) deserve, a future that will be safer for our children and grandchildren.
Shifting away from polluting fossil fuels won't just benefit the environment. It will help the economy and create more jobs. If we took the Canadian taxpayers' money now subsidizing the tar sands and instead invested in renewables, we would create eight times more jobs in the clean energy sector.
More and more Canadians are speaking out against the reckless expansion of the tar sands.
Our movement is growing. We have stood up, challenged, delayed and defeated projects that no one thought we could. We have halted Enbridge's Northern Gateway tar sands pipeline in its tracks. We have taken the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline from being a 'no-brainer' to being a defining issue of a presidency. We have put the risks of expanding the tar sands on the agenda at government meetings and editorial boards.
We can't stop now. Plans for expanding the tar sands continue. Big Oil continues to pay for glossy ads in magazines and billboards. We need our voices to grow, become louder, and stronger until we put an end to the reckless expansion of the tar sands.
And we can't do it without you. How can you help? By encouraging more people learn the dirty truth about the tar sands. Visit TarSandsRealityCheck.com and share the website with your friends, family and colleagues. Share your favorite Reality Check facts on Facebook or Twitter and ask your friends to do the same.
We're not stopping at the website. TarSandsRealityCheck.com is the first stage in a renewed effort to clear the air. In the coming months, we'll be working with allies in Europe, the United States, and Canada to punch through the spin and give Big Oil a reality check with new information, events and efforts to engage more people in the growing movement.
No amount of PR spin can hide the dirty truth about the tar sands.
Our partners in this project include: Equiterre, Forest Ethics Advocacy, Greenpeace Canada, Natural Resource Defence Council, Transport and Environment, and 350.org.
About ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (www.environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is Canada's most effective environmental action organization. We challenge, and inspire change in government, business and people to ensure a greener, healthier and prosperous life for all.]]>The Credibility Gap: All Talk and Not A Lot of Action on Climate Changetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.26798172013-02-13T14:42:47-05:002013-04-15T05:12:01-04:00Hannah McKinnonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-mckinnon/
But there's a massive credibility gap as Canada's contribution to global warming is spiralling out of control, with the reckless expansion of the tar sands.
We've always believed that actions speak louder than words. So while the oil industry and government embark on a pro-tar sands PR campaign, let's look at how Canada has behaved on climate action and the environmental risks of the tar sands.
Broken promises
The federal government has repeatedly promised, and then failed, to take strong action on climate change. We've become a pariah internationally, thanks to the government's weakening our global warming goals and pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol.
Domestically the federal government hasn't kept promise after promise at home to address Canada's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas pollution -- the tar sands. Currently, there is not one federal regulation on climate pollution from the tar sands. Even the government's own reports are clear that it would almost take magic to meet our weak 2020 climate goals.
Blocking clean energy at home and abroad
In Canada, the federal government has failed to renew meaningful investment in clean energy and energy efficiency -- the tools that will not only get us out of this mess, but can help us build a strong economy founded on good jobs and safe, clean and renewable energy. Instead of supporting popular clean energy programs, the government hands out over $1.3 billion per year in tax breaks to Big Oil.
Outside our borders, the government has taken its pro-tar sands show on the road, with aggressive lobby efforts in California and Europe, aiming to undermine other countries efforts to fight global warming and use cleaner fuel. Although both jurisdictions are standing their ground, the Canadian government continues to pressure them to weaken their rules so Canada's dirty oil gets a free pass and doesn't pay its fair share for higher than average pollution.
Dismantling science and science-based policy
Respected scientists and scientific bodies across the country are voicing their concerns about recent attempts to dismantle science and science-based policy investigating climate change and other environmental issues. This ranges from cuts to funding for critical, long-standing research programs to not allowing federally funded scientists to speak to media about issues of national concern, like climate change.
In 2012, the federal budget bill was undemocratically used to force through major and devastating blows to environmental laws -- dismantling decades worth of policies that protect our natural environment, lakes, rivers and fish. The best explanation for these sweeping changes is that these laws, designed to protect our green spaces, waters and animal life, would have made it that more difficult to rubber stamp pipeline approvals through Canada's most sensitive ecosystems.
Fighting a public relations battle rather than battling pollution
The Alberta tar sands are already Canada's fastest growing source of global warming pollution. And the expansion plans in the works make current projects look like child's play. There are plans to triple tar sands production in the next seven years. This would cause Canada's emissions to soar well beyond what our climate can handle.
Instead of reducing pollution, our government has engaged in a public relations war. This has included labelling environmental groups radicals, singling out First Nations as 'enemies,' and massive diplomatic campaigns abroad to paint a rosy picture of one of the dirtiest projects on the planet.
Closing the Credibility Gap
Canada's credibility will continue to be tarnished, as long as the government keeps breaking promises, weakening environment regulations and commitments, and muzzling climate scientists.
To close the credibility gap, oil industry supporters will need to accept that their tar sands plans and climate action cannot co-exist. Period.
According to the International Energy Agency, in order to live up to our commitment to keep global warming below 2 degrees, two thirds of all remaining fossil fuels must stay in the ground. That would include a big chunk of the tar sands.
It's not too late
The good news is that there are solutions. To start with, the government could implement long-promised robust regulations for oil and gas, requiring those sectors to do their fair share to cut pollution. Instead of subsidizing the oil and gas industry, the government could invest in clean, profitable, reliable energy.
In recent years, Canada's climate policy has often followed the United States. With renewed interest in climate change south of the border, it's time to change our actions -- not just our PR spin.]]>Canada on Tar Sands: "Dig Baby Dig"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13244032012-03-06T14:02:47-05:002012-05-06T05:12:01-04:00Hannah McKinnonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-mckinnon/
The Canadian government, along with industry, has become experts at fighting battles over technical details and muddying the waters on policies and projects that in an era of dangerous climate change should be no brainers. Unfortunately these battles are just pieces of a much bigger puzzle -- a coordinated and strategic effort to ensure no door are closed to the highly polluting tar sands.
In a new report released today, the Government of Canada's international tar sands advocacy strategy is revealed, based on hundreds of pages of documents obtained through freedom of information laws. This push has succeeded in killing or delaying both domestic and international policy to tackle climate change, and is costing us our international reputation and moral integrity as some of the most vulnerable populations in the world, including in our own country, suffer from the increasingly devastating impacts of a warming planet.
Along with the launch of the report, over 20 candle light vigils were held last night across the United States and Europe appealing to the Canada we used to know to once again show leadership in the global fight against climate change.
The Canadian government has worked hand-in-glove with the tar sands industry to spend taxpayer dollars on a laundry list of tactics ranging from expensive public relations strategies, to trade threats, to hundreds of lobby meetings with foreign decision makers all in order to lock us into a rapid expansion of the tar sands that would hold us on course for a devastating six degrees or more of global warming.
This report makes it clear that every attack on environmental groups, every blanket characterization of our nation's aboriginal groups as adversaries, every trumped up technical argument against a foreign clean energy policy, and every single (too long to list) failure of our government to take climate change seriously, cannot be seen in isolation. These actions, as disturbing as they are in and of themselves, are symptoms of something much bigger.
While we celebrate delays and challenges to policies and infrastructure like pipelines, they also celebrate time bought to come up with more outrageous battles they can pick in order to ensure there are no immediate and definitive consequences to their reckless actions.
Canadians are by and large ready for action on climate change; provinces, municipalities and individuals are leading the charge in stepping up where the federal government is failing -- but it will take much more to turn the tide. Countries that are trying to do the right thing must stand up to Canadian government lobbying and call nonsense when it comes to Ottawa's claims about cleaner tar sands or higher environmental standards.
If they were true, something meaningful would be happening -- we would have regulations on our fastest growing source of greenhouse gas pollution, and the Canadian government would not have decided international action on climate change was a bad thing.
The Canadian government is on the wrong side of the global fight for a safe climate and a safe future and they know it. We all know that there will come a day when we address the climate crises; the question is what will have been sacrificed if we fail to do it fast enough.
We must continue to fight for the Canada we once knew, a country that was proud of being an international citizen and one that showed leadership during challenging global times. But, until we see that Canada again, we must understand that the Canadian government's current tar sands agenda is clear, organized, and well-funded.
Every government action is part and parcel of its "dig baby dig" mentality, and until things change we need to call it like it is -- sacrificing our children's future so that the tar sands industry can make an even more obscene profit today.
]]>The Truth About the EU's Position on the Tar Sandstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.12993782012-02-24T15:30:31-05:002012-04-25T05:12:01-04:00Hannah McKinnonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-mckinnon/
The European Union Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) is part of the EU's suite of climate policies. This particular policy is designed to reduce emissions from transportation fuels by six per cent by 2020, and is a critical part of getting the EU to its climate goals.
Over the course of the morning, reading news stories and releases, I have been surprised at the serious misinformation that has been floating about the online news world. With such a precedent setting policy under the microscope it seems important that at the very least we have the facts straight.
Rumour: This policy gives tar sands a label that is by far dirtier than any others.
Fact: Actually, the tar sands did not get "by far the dirtiest" label. There are a number of carbon intensive oils listed in the policy including coal-to-liquid and shale oil that both have significantly higher values than natural bitumen (tar sands). It must be made clear that this policy does not single out tar sands -- it identifies many of the highest polluting fuels, and it most certainly does not single out Canadian tar sands -- the label applies to 'natural bitumen' found anywhere in the world.
Rumour: This policy is discriminatory and will be taken to the WTO.
Fact: The policy is not discriminatory. In fact, if the tar sands were left out it would mean they were getting preferential treatment in a policy that is specifically designed to lower emissions through phasing-out highly polluting fuels or incentivizing them to clean up their act. The European Commission has experience with this, and they have done legal analysis that shows that this policy is on solid ground if Canada were to challenge it.
Rumour: Canada is being targeted for its transparency in reporting its emissions.
Fact: No, it isn't. The policy looks at "feedstocks," a.k.a sources of fuel, and assigns values based on the physical properties of those feedstocks. This has nothing to do with Canada being more transparent than anyone else. If anything, any additional transparency or monitoring done by companies in the tar sands works in their favour with this policy. If a company presents their data to the commission and can prove that they are doing better than the average value -- they will get their value changed. Not only does this reward those already making an effort to clean up their act, but it incentivizes others to do the same. It is important to understand that the numbers are not being contested; industry and government acknowledge that tar sands are more polluting -- to the tune of 23% above average conventional crude oils.
Rumour: Coal, not oil sands, are the real problem when it comes to climate change.
Fact: Yup, coal is bad. Guess what? So are tar sands. Climate change campaigns have not been ignoring coal; in fact coal is front and centre in many countries that burn a lot of it. Canada is in a different boat -- we have great initiatives in Ontario to phase out coal by 2015, and other provinces like Nova Scotia are also taking action to curb emissions.
What we don't have are policies to deal with the pollution from tar sands. Tar sands are potentially hugely problematic for the climate. In a world where we need to avoid two degrees of global warming, extracting all of the available oil in the tar sands would kick us a lot further down that dangerous path. The point is that we need to be making moves to get off all fossil fuels.
And some editorialized thoughts:
We are facing a climate crisis, and we have a moral responsibility to take action by finding ways to move away from coal, oil, and gas, and towards a clean, safe, and renewable energy future. The European Union is trying to do just that, and the Canadian government should redirect its efforts towards cleaning up its own act, rather than trying to prevent Europe from doing the right thing. As more and more countries begin to implement policies to reduce their emissions, we will see more policies like this, not less. The Canadian government and industry would be much better off to spend their energy dealing with the tar sands, Canada's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas pollution (currently without any federal regulations), and finding ways to move towards cleaner energy.
The era of reckless expansion of dirty oil should be over. We now know better. Canada needs to get in the game and stop dragging its reputation through the tar sands while the rest of the world leaves us behind in the race to a cleaner, and safer future.
For those interested in more technical background on this policy, please
refer to this fact sheet, http://www.pembina.org/pub/2315 put together by
the Pembina Institute.]]>Canada Should Fight a Pollution Battle Instead of a PR Battletag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.11084692011-11-24T11:44:52-05:002012-01-24T05:12:02-05:00Hannah McKinnonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-mckinnon/
Over recent weeks we have been inundated with dire warnings about climate change and the dangers of our addiction to fossil fuels. We have heard from the International Energy Agency that we are perilously close to locking ourselves into a world where runaway global warming will become inevitable. Just last week we heard from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that, among other things, extreme heat waves are expected to increase tenfold by the end of the century. The science is undeniably clear -- our window to avoid the worst is closing and it is closing fast.
Not surprisingly, many countries have recognized the urgency of this problem and are making efforts to clean up their own acts through reducing emissions and investing in clean energy as well as preparing and supporting the world's most vulnerable regions for what is to come. Not the Government of Canada.
The Canadian government's record on climate change is well known. We hear about it, at the very least every year when Canada is awarded yet another 'Colossal Fossil of the Year' for being the most counter-productive country at the UN climate talks. We know that the government has slashed funding for environmental science and renewable energy incentives. We know they abandoned their Kyoto commitments and were the only country to return from Copenhagen and weaken their emissions reductions target. We know they muzzle their climate scientists and bury critical data on our greenhouse gas pollution. And we know that Canada's federal energy and climate change positions revolve predominately around the reckless expansion of the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas pollution in the country -- the tar sands.
As you read this, European member states are preparing to vote on the implementation of their groundbreaking policy, the Fuel Quality Directive. This policy would see Europe encourage the use of cleaner fuels. One dimension of this policy is that it includes specific values for certain types of highly polluting fuels, including oil from tar sands. Not just Canadian tar sands, all tar sands deposits around the world. Despite the global application of the policy, Canada is the only country from outside of the European Union to intervene, and their interventions were not insignificant. This aggressive lobby campaign included over 110 meetings and millions of dollars in taxpayer money over the course of 2009 and 2010.
As the proposed December vote approaches, member states of the European Union have been subjected to yet another round of aggressive lobbying from the Canadian Government. Unfortunately the Fuel Quality Directive is only one of a handful of policies under attack by Canada.
As doors close on Canada's highly polluting tar sands oil, most recently with the debilitating delay of the Keystone XL pipeline, the government's reaction has been overtly defensive. They have equated different perspectives on the Keystone pipeline from the official opposition in Canada to treason, they have threatened trade consequences behind closed doors in Europe, and they have desperately clung to the oh-so-ironic 'ethical oil' brand that has been ridiculed by many, not the least of whom are recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Canadians and the world are desperate for the Canada we once knew. The Canada that was a global role model on environmental issues and the Canada that often chose the moral high ground even when it was not politically palatable. It is not too late for leadership.
The tar sands have a serious pollution problem. By the government's own data, tar sands are projected to account for over 100 per cent of emissions growth in Canada over the coming decade, and despite multiple promises, there is still not a single federal regulation to address tar sand's greenhouse gas emissions. Until the Government of Canada understands that they have a pollution problem that will never be solved with public relations or diplomacy, they are going to be fighting a losing battle.
If the government is going to put so much energy into fighting, it would be great if it was fighting against climate change, instead of protesting clean energy and climate policies abroad. Canadians want our climate and energy policy to be defined by reducing our pollution instead of increasing it and we hope the government arrives at the same conclusion sooner rather than later.
With the Durban climate talks fast approaching, wouldn't it be great if this were the moment when Canada became a good guy again?]]>Why I Will Be Risking Arrest Todaytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9805412011-09-26T09:19:24-04:002011-11-26T05:12:02-05:00Hannah McKinnonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-mckinnon/
The reactions of family and friends have been interesting as I explain my motivations. Most people struggle to understand how breaking the law could possibly be a good thing. The reality is, I would prefer to avoid getting arrested and instead feel confident that my government was taking seriously one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. Unfortunately they are not, so I will be risking arrest.
Here is why:
The climate crises is real and urgent but it is not too late
By now we know well that the devastating impact of climate change threatens the food we grow, the homes we live in, and the water we drink. Climate change threatens peace and security and exacerbates ongoing conflicts throughout the world. If Canada continues to refuse to act, these devastating impacts will become catastrophic. Dangerous climate change is a preventable threat to the livelihoods of indigenous peoples, millions of species of plants and animals, vulnerable populations, and our children and grandchildren that will bear the ultimate consequences of our government's indifference. The good news is that if governments like ours take serious action now, we can prevent the worst.
Solidarity and justice
Climate change is at its core an injustice. Those who suffer the most have done so little to contribute to this crisis, and they are the least prepared to deal with the impacts. Women and children in impoverished countries are especially vulnerable. As I risk arrest, others risk their lives for their most basic needs.
Canada and the tar sands are dragging the world down
Canada is one of the worst countries in the industrialized world when it comes to taking action on climate change, and we know why: tar sands. The tar sands are Canada's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas pollution, and if they are allowed to expand as projected they will make it impossible for Canada to do its fair share to combat global warming. This government's short-term interests have turned them into a lobby arm for one of the most destructive projects on the planet. Not only is Canada failing to take action at home, they are also actively trying to prevent other countries from cleaning up their act. We need the Canadian Government to invest the money it spends each year on handouts and lobbying for the oil industry in a clean future for Canadians and the world.
An inspiring history
Our global addiction to and the dangerous exploitation of fossil fuels goes against everything we need to ensure a safe and peaceful future for humanity. It is disappointing, but of course not unprecedented, that citizens such as ourselves must rise above the moral shortcomings of our governments at this critical moment. We are joining the ranks of those who have taken similar risks to demand a better future. There was a time when an end to slavery, universal suffrage and basic civil rights seemed unattainable, but the moral imperative for action changed our world for the better. The climate crisis is one of the greatest moral challenges of our time, and this is why we are acting together to challenge our government to do what is right. There is an inspiring and proven power in non-violent civil disobedience and I sincerely hope that our actions are helping to build the movement that will change the world.
Inspiring colleagues
Over the last month I watched -- with great respect -- over 1,000 dedicated individuals in the U.S. be arrested in a peaceful demonstration to tell President Obama to say no to the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Keystone XL Pipeline, and the tar sands oil it would transport, represents a choice. A choice between preserving the planet we share, and sacrificing it by allowing the climate crisis to spiral out of control. I feel strongly that as people of the country that is the root cause of this problem, we too must ensure our government hears the message.
As. U.S. activist Tim DeChristopher put it in a statement to the court during a trial for his own act of non-violent civil disobedience:
"The reality is not that I lack respect for the law; it's that I have greater respect for justice. Where there is a conflict between the law and the higher moral code that we all share, my loyalty is to that higher moral code."
My allegiance too is with the higher moral code. The only ethical choice we have is one the moves us away from fossil fuels and towards a just, clean and safe future.
Please join us on Monday on Parliament Hill. You do not need to be prepared to risk arrest to participate. Visit ottawaaction.ca for more details.]]>