Big oil companies need to do their part to help reduce overall emissions
Environment Minister Jim Prentice put companies operating in Alberta’s oil sands on notice Monday during a speech delivered in his home riding in Calgary. Prentice said it’s no secret that rapid oils sands development—and the emissions associated with it—are contributing to Canada’s image as an environmental villain on the world stage, and that oil companies will need to do their part to help Canada reach its revised emissions targets as part of the Copenhagen climate change accord. But those new targets, released over the weekend, are actually lower than the government’s previous targets at 17 per cent below 2005 levels compared to 20 per cent below 2006 levels. And Prentice stressed that Canada intends to mirror any U.S. climate change program and won’t take any specific actions until Washington develops its own policy, a process that could take years.