This article was written by Richard Carlson, director of energy at Pollution Probe, Canada’s oldest environmental NGO, and was published in the Toronto Star on May 14, 2023.

In Ontario’s cold winters we burn a lot of natural gas to stay warm. Heating accounts for over 80 per cent of the energy we use in our homes, and over 75 per cent of Ontarians use natural gas for that heating. In the GHTA, emissions from heating buildings with natural gas is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, even higher than from transportation.

While natural gas has proven to be cost-effective, reliable and a flexible fuel, will we always be heating with natural gas? We are in a climate emergency and we have to stop burning fossil fuels so we need to prepare for replacing natural gas.

Electrification is the most common low-carbon solution promoted, especially as we are working to decarbonize our electricity supply. Rather than heating with inefficient electric baseboard heaters, it is heat pumps, essentially air conditioners that can both heat and cool, that offer the greatest promise. As heat pumps move heat and not create heat, that can be incredibly efficient, producing more heat than the energy put in.

But heat pumps struggle at really low temperatures. While less than 10 per cent of Canadian total heat demand would be cold enough that heat pumps would struggle, on those really cold days heating is still crucial. Using electric baseboards as a backup is one idea. But as everyone would be needing these backups at the same time, there would likely lead to much higher costs as the electricity grid would need to be expanded to meet these peak heating days in the winter.

As an example, Quebec, which relies heavily on electric baseboards for heating, has almost double the electricity demand in the winter as Ontario has during our highest period of electricity demand when everyone has their air conditioning blasting.

Even if Quebec moves to heat pumps, this large winter demand would remain as the baseboard heaters would be going full out as a backup.

Studies have shown that for the electricity grid to meet heating needs on those really cold days in Ontario, and in comparable areas, it would have to almost double in size. And this is not just with power plants, but with all the wires transporting the electricity to every home.

Thus what we would see would be a lower average use of energy, with large spikes in electricity demand by everyone in a short period. It would be like building massive highways all over Toronto just to deal with the rush of cottagers north in the summer.

But given that we need to reduce our emissions, we have to do something. In a paper Pollution Probe published, we argued that we need to look beyond electrification. District heating, which is already used in Toronto, is one.

For homes, hybrid heating — systems that have both a heat pump and a natural gas furnace — could be transitional tools as we develop our electricity system and improve the energy efficiency of our homes. The City of London is testing hybrid heating, and in Quebec, the electric and gas utilities, Hydro Québec and Énergir, are working together on hybrid systems. Hybrid systems could even be made low carbon if they used renewable natural gas or other low-carbon gases.

Decarbonizing heating is likely to be extremely difficult, given our current reliance on natural gas, extremely cold winter temperatures and the need to maintain the accessibility, affordability and reliability of heating services.

Given the need to move, we cannot afford to wait and need to consider all options, not just electrification, while planning — and preparing — for a net zero future.

This article was written by Reuters and was published in the Globe & Mail on May 13, 2023.

The Competition Bureau said on Thursday it was investigating whether Pathways Alliance, a group of oil sands producers collaborating on ways to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, misled the public in its advertising campaign.

Three environmental groups complained to the bureau in March about Pathways’ “Let’s clear the air” campaign that promoted the producers’ plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The bureau reviewed the complaint to determine if it meets technical requirements of Canada’s Competition Act prior to launching a formal investigation that is then required by law to determine the facts, a Competition Bureau spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson declined to provide further details, saying the work is confidential.

The bureau, an independent agency of the federal government, has authority to order financial penalties.

The environmentalists said Pathways’ net-zero claim was misleading because 80 per cent of the emissions associated with oil and gas are related to combustion, not the initial extraction on which Pathways is focused.

“We think the public deserves to be told the truth about the environmental harm caused by fossil-fuel production,” said Nola Poirier, senior researcher at Greenpeace Canada, one of the environmental groups.

The oil and gas and transportation industries are Canada’s two highest-polluting sectors, accounting for half of its emissions. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is aiming to cut overall emissions by at least 40 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Pathways said it strongly disagrees with the environmental groups’ complaint.

“Our campaign acknowledges the oil sands represent a significant share of our country’s emissions and that we must work collaboratively, including with governments, to achieve our goal of net zero from operations,” said Mark Cameron, Pathways’ vice-president.

Pipeline watchers say Ottawa may need to take a haircut if it wants to find a buyer

This article was written by David Thurton and was published by CBC News on May 13, 2023.

This article was written by Marianne Ariganello and was published in Canada’s National Observer on May 12, 2023.

System – extremely rare for this time of year – likely to fuel fires that have already displaced tens of thousands of residents.

This article was written by Leyland Cecco and was published in The Guardian on May 12, 2023.

Nearly 20,000 Albertans have been evacuated from their homes as wildfires continue to rage across the province with hot, dry conditions in the forecast for the foreseeable future.

This article was written by John Wakefield and was published in the Edmonton Journal on May 14, 2023.

This article was written by Clarrie Feinstein and was published in the Toronto Star on May 12, 2023.

Greenpeace Canada alleges the Pathways Alliance’s ad campaign is greenwashing

The Competition Bureau is launching a formal inquiry into Pathways Alliance, a consortium of Canada’s six largest oilsands companies, over allegations of false or misleading environmental claims in an ad campaign geared toward the Canadian public.

Spurred by a complaint from Greenpeace Canada in March, the Competition Bureau said in a statement to Greenpeace it will seek to “determine the facts relating to allegations that the Pathways Alliance has contravened the (Competition) Act by making false or misleading environmental representations.”

Formed in 2021, Pathways Alliance includes major companies such as Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips Canada, Imperial, Meg Energy and Suncor Energy.

Greenpeace Canada alleges the consortium’s ad campaign, “Let’s clear the air,” is greenwashing —

when a firm makes false or misleading claims about the environmental attributes of their business.

“Our request to the Competition Bureau regarding the Pathways Alliance’s misleading ad campaign was accepted and has set off an official inquiry into the dubious advertising practices of the Pathways Alliance,” Greenpeace Canada’s senior researcher and writer, Nola Poirier, said in a statement. “We think the public deserves to be told the truth about the environmental harm caused by fossil fuel production, not fed misleading sound bites by industry.”

Mark Cameron, vice-president external relations at Pathways Alliance, said the campaign acknowledges the oilsands represents a significant share of Canada’s emissions and collaborative efforts must be made across the industry and with government to deliver “responsibly produced oil.”

“We strongly disagree with the assertions in the Greenpeace complaint,” Cameron said in a statement to the Star. “We will continue to speak on behalf of one of Canada’s most important industries and show how we’re addressing the climate challenge while ensuring our country plays a leading role in providing global energy security and affordability.”

The application for the inquiry was made in March by members of Greenpeace Canada, along with representatives from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and Environmental Defence, among others.

The ad campaign, which launched in fall 2022, paints Pathways Alliance as a climate leader, flashing its net-zero target on high-profile placements such as Super Bowl commercials, a billboard at BC Place in Vancouver and covering streetcars in Toronto, Greenpeace said. Pathways Alliance ads have also appeared in the Star during this time.

TTC streetcars and buses are covered in ads that prominently display Pathways Alliance’s name, accompanied by the slogans “net-zero 2050” and “our net-zero plan is in motion.”

But it’s “impossible” for oil and gas production to be net-zero as 80 per cent of emissions are made in the burning of fossil fuels, which the ad campaign fails to mention, said Leah Temper, director of the Fossil Fuels Ads Make Us Sick campaign at CAPE.

“It’s making people believe we can have carbon neutral oil,” she said. “They are clearly trying to influence public opinion.”

In a video ad, Pathways Alliance also promotes the use of carbon capture, which involves the capture of carbon dioxide emissions and storing it deep underground.

However, carbon capture doesn’t help reduce emissions and is used to delay the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources, said Julia Levin, associate director of national climate at Environmental Defence.

If the inquiry finds that the Pathways Alliance members have made false and misleading representations, the applicants have requested they pay a fine that is the greater of $10 million or three per cent of worldwide gross revenues, which amounts to more than $8.5 billion, Greenpeace said.

This article was written by Natasha Bulowski and was published in Canada’s National Observer on May 12, 2023.

This article was written by Barry Saxifrage and was published in Canada’s National Observer on May 12, 2023.

This article was written by Georgina Rannard and was published by BBC News on April 22, 2023.