Canada adds hugely to greenhouse gases

Re: ?Al Gore ignores some inconvenient truths,? May 9.

If anyone has missed some inconvenient truths, it?s L. Ian MacDonald.

By focusing on industry efforts to reduce its 6.8 per cent contribution to global greenhouse-gas emissions during production, MacDonald ignores the bulk of emissions produced by the end-users of oilsands products.

If, as MacDonald claims, the U.S. consumes ?99 per cent of our exports of oil and gas? and ?accounts for 22 per cent of global greenhouse-gas emissions,? are we supposed to believe the petroleum industry and Canada?s contributions to the environmental consequences of burning dirty crude magically end at the border?

In addition to ignoring emissions produced by consumers of oilsands oil, and failing to consider that refining Canadian oilsands crude, most of which takes place in the U.S., produces 15 per cent to 40 per cent more carbon dioxide emissions than conventional oil, MacDonald also failed to mention that Canada relies on the world?s largest greenhouse-gas producer, China, for much of its manufacturing.

The truth is, Canada?s hidden contribution to total global emissions is orders of magnitude greater than two per cent. To claim otherwise is disingenuous.

Ken Dwernychuk

Saanich

? Copyright 2013

Source: http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters/canada-adds-hugely-to-greenhouse-gases-1.174868

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