The Conversation
Summary by: Sidonie Wittman and edited by the CSRC team.
The Climate Solutions Research Collective continued this summer's casual Climate Conversation series with Kathryn Harrison (Political Science) and Michael Brauer (School of Population and Public Health) hosting a discussion on recent calls for restriction on advertising and ‘greenwashing’ within the fossil fuel industry. Nineteen attendees from UBC and beyond met in the courtyard behind the Beaty Biodiversity Museum on Wednesday July 24 for conversation and homemade iced tea.
Participants gathered to discuss the recent ruling by the industry self-regulating organization, Ad Standards Canada, which found a campaign touting that BC’s liquified natural gas (LNG) “will reduce global emissions” amounted to “greenwashing” (see details about the case reported by Glacier Media and the National Observer), and Canada’s new Bill C-59, which establishes new legal obligations for advertisers making environmental claims (see details about these provisions in Bill C-59 here).
Michael started off our discussion with a primer on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), its extraction, production and distribution, and some of the associated claims of it as a ‘green’ fuel. Advertisements in BC have claimed that LNG, which is a fuel consisting primarily of methane, would reduce BC’s carbon emissions by displacing other higher emitting fossil fuels when burned. However, the speakers pointed out that LNG must be cooled to be transported, and that this cooling process requires 10-15% of the overall energy content. Additionally, methane is known for leaking in production, transport, and end use, including in homes where gas may be used for cooking or heating. Methane’s high warming potential when it leaks, along with the energy needed for production, make LNG’s carbon emissions much higher than would be seen at face value. Claims of “net-zero” LNG are inaccurate as they refer only to the extraction phase of LNG, not the transport or eventual burning. There is no guarantee that LNG will displace a dirtier fuel, coal, rather than cleaner renewables, in which case LNG exports could increase global emissions.
Kathryn and other participants, including Stepan Wood from the Center for Law and the Environment, addressed provisions of the recent federal omnibus bill, Bill C-59, which address greenwashing in advertising (see details about these provisions in Bill C-59 here). Participants noted that this is an important shift in targeting greenwashing, and hoped it would have wide-reaching effects.
The speakers reflected that false claims about fossil fuels could have far reaching impacts on policy at all levels, potentially including the recent repeal of a City of Vancouver policy that had banned the use of natural gas for space and water heating in new construction (see details as reported by CBC Vancouver).
So what next?
If you are interested in this topic, the Centre for Law and the Environment will be hosting a related webinar on greenwashing in the fall. Stay updated and sign up for their newsletter here.
Follow the Canada Climate Law Initiative on LinkedIn or other platforms to keep up to date on legal issues related to the climate crisis.
Read an opinion in The Globe and Mail by Dr. Janis Sarra (Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC) on the two amendments to the Competition Act on deceptive marketing practices regarding climate-related claims. To send a comment to Vancouver City Council regarding their decision, click here.
You can also provide feedback to the Competition Bureau on guidance for implementing the changes announced in B-C59 by giving your comments here by September 27, 2024.
Continue the Climate Conversation at UBC
We hope to see you at our next Climate Conversation on August 21st, discussing Fostering Transdisciplinary Research with Naoko Ellis (Applied Science) and Derek Gladwin (Education).