Stop blaming Canada’s energy sector for global emissions

Alberta’s oil and gas industry outperforms most of the world in cutting emissions. It’s time environmentalists focused on the real global offenders

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Environmentalists often target oil and gas companies as the villains of climate change. It’s easier to blame corporations than to confront the reality that consumers are responsible for the vast majority of emissions.

But if we’re serious about cutting greenhouse gases (GHGs), we need to tell the whole story. That includes acknowledging the substantial progress made by Canada’s energy sector, especially in Alberta, where measurable environmental improvements are already underway.

Take venting and flaring. Venting is the direct release of unburned natural gas, mostly methane, into the air. Flaring burns that gas, converting methane into carbon dioxide, which has far less short-term climate impact. Alberta has slashed both to record lows while increasing output. In 2018, Alberta’s oil and gas producers captured and used 97.4 per cent of the natural gas that would otherwise have been released or burned off, according to the Alberta Energy Regulator. That means less methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, is escaping into the atmosphere.

That’s just on the production side. But what about the emissions we generate after the fuel leaves the wellhead?

Here’s a fact that rarely makes headlines: oil and gas producers account for only about 20 per cent of total GHG emissions. The rest, a whopping 80 per cent, comes from fuel used by consumers. That means driving cars, heating homes and powering industries.

Blaming producers while ignoring consumer responsibility is a distraction. Climate action demands honesty and balance.

Canada’s top energy companies are taking serious action. Emissions intensity—the amount of pollution per unit of energy produced—is falling across the board.

Enbridge cut emissions by 25 per cent in three years and aims for net-zero by 2050. Suncor held emissions flat while increasing production and is targeting a 30 per cent intensity cut by 2030. Cenovus, Imperial, Canadian Natural Resources and others have slashed emissions intensity by 20 to 45 per cent over the last decade.

This isn’t greenwashing. It’s the result of real investments in clean technology, operational efficiency and sound engineering.

Government is backing innovation too. Alberta’s TIER (Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction) program is investing $50 million in emissions-reduction tech, and the Clean Resource Innovation Network has received $100 million to accelerate clean energy solutions. The momentum is real.

Canada ranks fifth in the world in oil and gas production, but it performs far better than most of its global peers when it comes to environmental impact. Countries like Russia, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Algeria and Nigeria continue to vent and flare natural gas at far higher rates, often with little transparency or regulation. Many of them are not part of international methane reduction agreements and lack the infrastructure or political will to improve.

Even some wealthier producers lag behind. The United States emits more methane in absolute terms, and while it’s investing heavily in reductions, the scale of its emissions is still high. China, Saudi Arabia and others have made improvements but still emit more per unit of energy in many cases.

Canada, by contrast, has some of the lowest methane and CO2 emissions per barrel of oil among major producers, along with robust reporting standards and clear net-zero targets. Only a few countries, such as Norway and Qatar, perform better, thanks to long-established investments in cleaner production.

Methane is more than 80 times more potent than CO2 in warming the planet over the short term, making its reduction a global priority. Simple upgrades, such as installing flare stacks or connecting rural production to natural gas co-ops, can cut emissions dramatically. Flaring instead of venting cuts methane’s impact by 95 per cent. Better yet, burning the gas as fuel eliminates emissions entirely.

Canada’s oil and gas is produced under some of the world’s highest environmental, social and governance standards. Compared to other major producers, we emit far less CO2 and methane per barrel.

That doesn’t mean we stop improving. But it does mean the industry deserves fair treatment and credit for what it has already achieved.

If environmentalists want real change, they should stop targeting one of the world’s most responsible producers and start demanding accountability from those doing the least.

Yogi Schulz has over 40 years of information technology experience in various industries. Yogi works extensively in the petroleum industry. He manages projects that arise from changes in business requirements, the need to leverage technology opportunities, and mergers. His specialties include IT strategy, web strategy and project management.