During the election campaign, environmental and resource development issues were front and centre in the debate over the direction British Columbians wish our government to pursue.

While voter turnout in the election was at a near record low, almost 800,000 of those who did vote offered their support to the two parties that took strong positions to protect B.C.’s environment. This is good news.

Hundreds of thousands of voters do not support the Enbridge or Kinder Morgan tar sands pipelines and oil tankers projects. And given the lack of clarity with regard to Premier Clark's stand on pipelines, perhaps many BC Liberal supporters are also opposed to the Enbridge and Kinder Morgan projects.

Those who voted signalled their profound concern about global warming. British Columbians clearly want a government that balances its approach to economic growth with the scientifically irrefutable reality that expanding fossil fuel production will intensify global warming.

In her post-election speech, Premier Clark acknowledged this, saying that she heard the message that the environment and economy need to be balanced.

In the coming weeks and months, Sierra Club BC will steadily, strongly and strategically remind the Premier of this imperative, as we work ever harder to animate our core mission: To protect and conserve British Columbia’s wilderness, species and ecosystems, within the urgent context of global warming impacts.

The observatory on Mauna Loa, Hawaii, registered over 400 ppm for the first time on May 2, and has since hovered around that level.

""The last time we had this much CO2 in the atmosphere the world was 2-3 degrees warmer and sea level was 25 metres higher, " said Sierra Club BC's science advisor, Colin Campbell, PhD. "We must act immediately to slash emissions and build an economy that works within safe limits for life on Earth and human civilization."

Check out Sierra Club BC's interactive global warming presentation.

"This is the last call for the human species to kick our addiction to fossil fuels and keep the life-friendly planet we evolved on," Campbell said.

Read the story in The Guardian and the New York Times.

What is happening in B.C.?

British Columbians like to think of ourselves as climate leaders in North America. Consecutive B.C. governments have highlighted the province's carbon tax and legislated targets for reducing emissions. While these were positive steps, their implementation has been hampered by lack of transparency in accounting for the province's full carbon footprint.

The proposed fossil fuel projects - tankers, pipelines and coal mines - stand to multiply the province's emissions ten times the official tally.

In addition, B.C. is seemingly poised to significantly ramp up another source of carbon pollution, even greater than the Alberta tar sands - fracking and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

According to the Pembina Institute, LNG projects that are currently being proposed for northern B.C. could increase greenhouse gas emissions by 62 million tonnes per year. In contrast, the emissions from Alberta's tar sands are currently estimated at 48 million tonnes per year.

To build awareness, Sierra Club BC hosted an evening of conversation on pipelines, tankers and global warming. Joining us — via video — was Bill McKibben, one of the world’s foremost climate change activists and co-founder of 350.org. Other excellent speakers were also on hand.

Watch the inspiring new climate action video by spoken word artist C.R. Avery, first screened at the town hall.

Who is Kinder Morgan?

Kinder Morgan is a U.S. energy company and one of the largest pipeline companies in the world.  Formally an Enron company, and headed by former Enron staff, Kinder Morgan’s track record of health and safety violations exemplifies the quest for profit at the expense of people and our environment.

What does Kinder Morgan want in B.C.?

Kinder Morgan wants to export tar sands crude — the dirtiest oil in the world — to international markets. They want to build a new pipeline across the interior of B.C. from the Alberta tar sands to Burnaby, bringing more than 400 oil tankers per year along the southern B.C. coast.  The proposed new pipeline, adjacent to an existing Kinder Morgan pipeline, would increase “pipeline capacity” from the current 300,000 barrels per day to at least 890,000 barrels per day.

Risk the B.C. coast? No thanks.

Kinder Morgan may see B.C. as a land bridge to quick profit.  However, for those of us who live here, we see cultures, communities, jobs and ecosystems being put at risk.

The tankers would navigate waters filled with Fraser River salmon. They would pass through the traditional fishing grounds of coastal First Nations. They would risk an oil spill on the beaches beloved by many.

Accidents happen. The Exxon Valdez disaster, the Gulf of Mexico disaster, and Enbridge’s oil spill in Kalamazoo all typify how communities suffer the consequences of oil spills, while the corporations responsible are soon back to business as usual. On average, only 10-15 percent of any oil spill is ever cleaned up.

The proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project would create only 35 permanent jobs, while an oil spill would put at risk industries that employ over 200,000 people (in tourism, film and TV, high tech, agriculture and coastal industries.¹)

First Nations are speaking out. Local governments are speaking out.  We are speaking out – all in opposition to pipelines and tankers: Please sign onto our climate action letter, calling on our government to make good decisions about energy policy and our future.

What we are saying YES to.

By saying no to tar sands pipelines and tankers we are saying yes to so much more: a future for our children, habitat for endangered orca whales, jobs that depend on a healthy ocean, and salmon for dinner.

By saying no to Kinder Morgan we are saying yes to a liveable climate.

View the map of the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline route. Read an article by interim executive director Sarah Cox in the Times Colonist. Learn more about Kinder Morgan here.

¹ Assessing the risks of Kinder Morgan’s proposed new Trans Mountain pipeline. Conversations for Responsible Economic Development.