Oil and gas sectors failing to meet emissions targets

Canada has adopted aggressive strategies aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. However, a new study by researchers at St. Francis Xavier University suggests that the oil and gas sectors are jeopardising Canada’s progress towards net-zero.

Along with agriculture, the oil and gas sector is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. These sectors are also disproportionately responsible for producing methane, which has a far more profound impact on climate change than carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses. Regulating these sectors is key to achieving net-zero. However, as this research illustrates, regulation is only the first step.

The team at St. Francis Xavier found disturbingly low levels of compliance with new oil and gas regulations. Using 2020 data from British Columbia, they found only 62% compliance with leak detection and repair requirements, which contributed to unnacceptably high levels of atmospheric methane emissions. As their research clearly shows, regulation is useless without enforcement.

It is also worth noting that these researchers chose to focus on British Columbia for a simple reason: at present, this is the only province to publish their leak detection and repair data. Without access to this data in other provinces, it is impossible for members of the public to know if their own governments are enforcing emissions regulations or holding oil and gas producers to account.

This research clearly shows that there is an enforcement gap in Canada. Regulation is meaningless if can be so easily ignored. Moreover, while data gathering is important, making this data publicly available is also important if we are to monitor those who are supposed to be enforcing these regulations.

Chevron oil refinery in Burnaby, BC. Photo by Kyle Pearce, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.