Sierra Club disappointed by Furey's promise N.L. will be in oil and gas industry 'for decades'
Conor Curtis, head of communications for the Sierra Club Canada, says he's disappointed Premier Andrew Furey says Newfoundland and Labrador will be in the oil and gas business for decades to come. (Submitted by Conor Curtis)
The Sierra Club Canada is criticizing Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey's statement this week that the province will be in the oil and gas industry "for decades and decades to come."
Conor Curtis, the Sierra Club's head of communications for the Sierra Club, says a world where the Newfoundland and Labrador economy can rely on oil and gas exists only in a "fantasy land."
"The science is very clear," said Curtis, "in the global transition to a green economy, there is no room for the further expansion of oil and gas projects."
At the Energy N.L. conference in St. John's on Tuesday, Furey said, "We will be all in on oil and gas for decades and decades to come. Not because it's what we need, but it's what the world needs us to be right now."
In the global transition to a net zero economy, the world will continue to require the province's oil and gas, he said.
Curtis, who is originally from Corner Brook, says there's no need for new fossil fuel projects because there are already enough projects in the world to meet global demand.
"I'm very disappointed to see these statements being made. It does a disservice to people in the province," he said.
Economy vs. climate
Curtis cited United Nations secretary-general António Guterres, who has said investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is "moral and economic madness."
And while Furey says there will be demand for oil from Newfoundland and Labrador for years to come, the International Energy Agency predicts global oil demand will peak in 2030.
"It's sad to see Premier Furey, who is a trained medical professional, repeating the talking points of oil and gas industry lobbyists, when the lies that those lobbyists have spread have already cost countless lives," said Curtis.
Curtis says the province should look beyond oil and gas — to the fishery and tech industries, for example — to support its economy, and help workers transition to other industries.
He also says the government should work with communities to create renewable energy.
"Instead of looking at single silver bullet solutions, we need to be looking at multiple solutions that actually localize those benefits in the places where people are living," said Curtis.
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