During the 1864 American Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay, Rear Admiral Farragut ordered his fleet forward after the vessel Tecumseh struck a torpedo—and sank. The admiral said something like, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

David Eby is desperate for any kind of achievement, so the premier left yesterday for China, where he will promote a gigantic expansion of the LNG plant that is now polluting Kitimat and spewing methane into the atmosphere.

Eby is in effect saying, “Damn the climate science, full speed ahead!“

More than 99% of climate scientists attribute the increase in global temperature over the past 30-40 years to greenhouse gases that humans have been adding to the atmosphere since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s. The great majority of these scientists agree that if this warming continues, it presents significant risks to humankind and all life on Earth: to our cities and towns, our water and food supplies, and our health.

MIT – Climate Science, Risk & Solutions

All parts of Europe are this year enduring a record-breaking heat wave that is straining electricity systems. France recorded its hottest day since national record-keeping began in 1947, with temperatures reaching 44.3°C (112°F). The prolonged heat warmed major rivers used to cool nuclear reactors. To prevent discharged water from further damaging aquatic ecosystems, several reactors shut down or reduced output. Supplies of badly needed electricity are constrained.

Other forms of electricity generation face challenges. The output of hydropower drops when dry conditions reduce available water needed to generate energy. European hydropower has dipped significantly in the first five months of 2026. Coal and gas-fired plants also suffer because hot weather can stress equipment and reduce output.

Extreme heat has caused major problems across other areas of Europe and in Asia, Australia, and parts of South America. In several countries, temperature records have fallen. Heat measurements in Australia during the summer of 2026 reached almost 50°C.

The pattern is especially alarming: extreme heat drives electricity demand sharply upward while simultaneously reducing supply by warming cooling water, lowering river flows, impairing thermal-plant efficiency, and sometimes weakening wind generation.

David Eby’s NDP government is not judging LNG by its full climate impact.

They are judging LNG through the lenses of investment, employment, and energy security. However, the lens of revenue is obscured because the BC government has reduced its share of natural gas revenues and provided huge tax breaks and subsidies to LNG Canada.

BC gave benefits worth billions of dollars to the foreign-owned company. The government

• repealed the LNG income tax;
• created a natural-gas corporate tax credit;
• granted LNG Canada a long-term PST deferral;
• heavily subsidized the gas pipeline to Kitimat;
• contributed huge funding for LNG Canada’s grid connection;
• allows LNG Canada to purchase power well below the incremental cost of new electricity.

Beyond temporary income taxes generated during construction, British Columbia’s direct return from LNG is modest.

Compared to the days of Gordon Campbell, the BC government has reduced natural gas revenues by billions of dollars. The province has encouraged rising gas production while surrendering much of the public’s share of the resource’s value.

The cost of doing this is serious damage to the earth’s environment.