People talk near the Al Wasl Dome at Expo City ahead of the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Peter Dejong
CALGARY – Executives and senior leaders from Canada’s oil and gas sector are heading to Dubai for the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks.
The Pathways Alliance consortium of oilsands companies and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers are among the groups who will be at the climate summit representing this country’s fossil fuel industry.
The Pathways Alliance says it is going to the summit because it recognizes the oilsands is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases.
The group says it wants to tell the world it is committed to being part of the solution. It says it’s eager to talk about some of its emissions reduction plans, including a proposal to spend $16.5 billion to build a massive carbon capture and storage network in northern Alberta.
Janetta McKenzie of clean energy think-tank the Pembina Institute says there’s a growing recognition by the oil and gas sector that it must do more to combat emissions if it wishes to remain competitive in the future.
But she says observers of COP28 need to be on the lookout for greenwashing, as many oil and gas companies have so far made a lot of climate promises but have yet to invest the tens of billions of dollars it will take to see those promises through.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2023.
