Canadians Subsidize Billion-Dollar Climate Failures as Oil Industry Profits Soar

The Pathways Carbon Capture and Storage project in Canada is facing criticism from Environmental Defence, a non-profit organization that advocates for environmental protection. The project aims to reduce emissions from oil sand facilities by developing hundreds of kilometers of new pipelines and carbon capture infrastructure.

However, critics argue that the project is an expensive giveaway to profitable oil and gas companies, with a price tag estimated at $30 billion. The Canadian government and Alberta have committed to covering up to 62% of the capital costs, which could mean Canadians will pay nearly $19 billion initially.

The climate returns from the project are also disputed, as the target for reducing emissions has fallen drastically from 22 MT by 2030 to 6 MT by 2035. This is less than a week's worth of oil sand emissions, according to Environmental Defence.

Critics also point out that the project poses serious safety and environmental risks, including the potential for CO2 leaks and contamination of groundwater and surface water. The project would require hundreds of kilometers of pipelines carrying highly concentrated carbon dioxide across northern Alberta.