Blocking climate action

Dear Asarial,

I’m writing to you about an urgent petition on Leadnow’s member-led petitions site, calling on Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault to kick polluters out of the Canada Pavilion at COP 27.

Here’s a brief explanation of the campaign:

Oil and gas companies have been the biggest obstacle to climate action both at COP and back in Canada. For decades now, they have made their fortunes while millions around the world suffer the tragedies of climate impacts. [1]

Now, Big Oil has been given event space at the first-ever COP Canada Pavilion — and you can guarantee they’ll be using their platform to greenwash their image and justify their polluting. [2]

Big polluters have no place at COP 27. That’s why we are formally requesting that the Canada Pavilion cancel the Nov. 11 Pathways Alliance Event and all events featuring participation by big polluters.

The fossil fuel industry has known about the climate crisis for decades. But rather than scaling back on fossil fuel production, they buried the science and doubled down on their polluting agenda. [3]

Now that there’s no more denying the truth of the climate crisis, the fossil fuel industry is changing tack — out with the blatant denial, in with a slippery strategy of greenwashing to cover their tracks and continue with the status quo. [4]

But real climate action means sunsetting the fossil fuel industry — full stop.

Asarial, our political leaders invited Big Oil to COP 27 — so they have the power to send them home. If you think that big polluters have no place in Canada’s Pavilion at COP 27, will you sign the petition now?

Here’s some more information about the campaign to kick polluters out of the Canada Pavilion at COP 27.

Oil and gas companies are touting themselves as climate leaders, while in fact their activities continue to erode the rights and negatively impact the health and culture of Indigenous communities.

Companies keep pointing to carbon capture and storage — despite the technology’s decades-long track record of underperformance and failure. The industry isn’t interested in carbon capture to reduce emissions — it’s about greenwashing its plans to continue producing fossil fuels for decades to come. [5]

Right now, Canada’s failing on climate. A recent independent study found Canada’s climate policies to be “highly insufficient.” We’re set to blow past our Paris Agreement targets — and without drastic and immediate policy change, we could be on track for much worse. [6]

Asarial, if you think our federal leaders should put their international commitments over the interests of Big Oil at COP 27, will you sign the petition now?

https://you.leadnow.ca/petitions/kick-polluters-out-of-the-canada-pavilion-at-cop27/

In hope and anger,
Kate and Maggie on behalf of the Leadnow team

Sources
[1] www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change
[2] financialpost.com/commodities/energy/ruffing-some-feathers-at-cop27-canada-includes-oil-and-gas-companies-in-its-delegation
[3] www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/30/climate-crimes-oil-and-gas-environment
[4] www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/16/oil-firms-climate-claims-are-greenwashing-study-concludes
[5] see [4]
[6] climateactiontracker.org/countries/canada/