While Day 2 of the National Energy Board’s Kinder Morgan hearings were underway in Burnaby, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that 2015 is going down as the hottest year in recorded history – by far.
That’s right, the highest temperatures on land and in the ocean since 1880, when people started keeping track. Last year’s average temperature was 0.90C above the 20th century average. The alarming rise in global temperatures is having repercussions around the planet, according to the NOAA’s report.
Call us cynical, but we predict the NEB will approve the pipeline expansion despite widespread opposition and clear lack of local social license. Based on the NEB’s track record, the board members rarely say no to oil company proposals. Sure, Kinder Morgan will likely be subject to an exhaustive list of conditions, similar to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project. But the company will find a way to forge ahead when there are billions at stake here.
And, yes, there will be more protests. People are clearly frustrated with the NEB process, and unless the Liberals make some major changes fast, that’s not going to change.
We also understand there are no rules that require the board to consider climate change while reviewing these projects.
The board’s only mandate is to determine whether the proposed $6.8-billion project is in the best interests of the country.
Excuse me? But what about the planet? Who will determine what’s in the best interests of our shared air, land and water?
We really hope the National Energy Board is listening to this latest news.
We also hope the NEB is listening to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, which treats the responsibility of environmental protection as a sacred duty for future generations.
We hope the NEB is listening beyond the walls of the hearing chambers while deliberating over this project. The final decision should be based on what’s in the best interests of the planet, not a handful of oil barons.
To ignore the direct link between fossil fuel consumption and the planet’s rising temperatures is not just irresponsible, it’s suicidal.
