“Natural gas and shale gas are all bad for the climate. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is worse,” said Robert Howarth, author of a peer-reviewed paper and professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University.
Methane is more than 80 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, so even small emissions can have a large climate impact, Howarth said.
Overall, the greenhouse gas footprint for LNG as a fuel source is 33% greater than that for coal. Even considered on the time frame of 100 years after emission, which severely understates the climatic damage of methane, the LNG footprint equals or exceeds that of coal.
In his first speech as BC Premier, David Eby said, “We cannot continue to expand fossil fuel infrastructure and hit our climate goals.” He once joked that BC’s LNG hopes were like “a cloud of pixie dust.”
Yet before long, Eby executed a remarkable flip-flop. The premier who had warned against expanding fossil-fuel infrastructure began championing LNG development and falsely praising LNG Canada for producing “clean energy.”
To promote natural gas, British Columbia has foregone billions of dollars that once flowed into the public treasury. In 2005-2008, monthly auctions of natural gas rights brought in the 2026 equivalent of $12 billion. In 2021-2024, these auctions produced less than $5 million.
The financial cost has been high since the BC government decided to promote fossil fuels, but there is another cost that is more important.
Specialized optical gas imaging (OGI) technology proves that LNG Canada—the country’s first LNG export facility, which Ottawa is strongly backing for expansion—is releasing huge, invisible plumes of toxic chemicals directly into the air as part of regular operations. These pollutants are harmful to climate and human health, and people in nearby communities are breathing them in. The new imaging comes as Ottawa is promoting another 11 LNG projects across the country.
Categories: LNG
in-sights.ca 
Perhaps premier Eby should invite prime minister Carney to visit Kitimat to see how well things are going there… how the people feel about the LNG plant there. Sent from my iPhoneOn Jun 27, 2026,
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The radical shift rightward in NDP policy at all levels of public concern is far from normal for any labour/leftist government. Clearly what they were is no longer what they are.
Mr. Farrell,
Thanks for this post.
It’s perfect. It’s not “pretending” to be a scientific analysis. It is a scientific analysis.
“Natural gas and shale gas are all bad for the climate. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is worse,”said Robert Howarth, author of a peer-reviewed paper and professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University.”
“Methane is more than 80 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, so even small emissions can have a large climate impact, Howarth said.”
The idea that Energy Independence (from what if not fossil fuel dependency) automatically results from re-branding LNG as “clean energy” is so far beyond absurd that as, Mom would say – “I fear for their Reason.”
Noam Chomsky predicted similarly awkward future trends.
“That’s the standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don’t work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital.”
One brief ray of hope and moment of clarity? Gloria Macarenko.
Her CBC interview with Housing Minister Christine Boyle (endlessly-recycling-the-same talking-point) shifted in attitude from – OK, they’ve told you to speak positively about ministry intentions and you aren’t in the decision loop, but as a human being do you actually understand nothing about what’s wrong with this entire process?
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=cbc+interview+with+christine+boyle&mid=237D0EEFABB73454C333237D0EEFABB73454C333&churl=&FORM=VIRE
Macarenko: increasingly exasperated. Increasingly focused her questions.
Boyle. Deer in the headlights. Hands flailing.
The idea that the NDP will spend millions buying properties that “young families with good jobs, but who haven’t saved enough for a downpayment” can own some day sounds fine. But wait. Why can’t these good job holders save money? Because rents in BC are far too high? Everything in BC costs too much!
The Minister’s breathless sales pitch is not credible. Such a scheme could not enable anyone but people far wealthier to afford the cost of such accommodation. And worse? No, the NDP will never protect its tenants by becoming landlords.
That’s up to The Market!
Confucius – In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.
Result? Another NDP PR disaster.
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