To the editor:
American President Barack Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline on the basis of its climate impacts gives hope for a new path forward in British Columbia.
Obama has sent a clear message that you can’t be a climate leader and build pipelines – a message that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cannot ignore.
Today’s (Nov. 6) rejection signals a growing recognition that tar sands pipelines are not inevitable and a clean energy economy is not just possible – it is already here.
We can create more jobs and protect our environment by investing in clean energy and transitioning to a post-carbon economy.
Prime Minister Trudeau can demonstrate real climate leadership by implementing a legislated oil tanker ban for B.C.’s north coast that puts an end to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway proposal for once and for all.
He can also show that leadership by fulfilling his campaign promise to overhaul the federal environmental review process such that the Kinder Morgan pipeline proposal is considered on the basis of its climate impacts.
It’s time for a new approach to pipelines in Canada that takes climate change seriously – because it’s 2015.
Caitlyn Vernon
Sierra Club B.C. campaigns director