The Council replies: Letters to the editor
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Andrea Harden-Donahue
September 4, 2009

RE: China’s move into the oil sands irks the U.S., Globe and Mail

Wednesday’s article [China’s move into the oil sands irks the U.S.] was right to suggest that the PetroChina $1.9 billion investment deal in the tar sands raises national security concerns, but misses the mark about why.

Like all deals contributing to ongoing expansion in the tar sands, the PetroChina deal jeopardizes ecological security. Confronted with the threat of climate change to the environment, people and our economy, ecological security is a serious matter of national security. The carbon intensive tar sands are the fastest growing source of GHG emissions in Canada; projected output is predicted to double by 2013. This presents a major stumbling block to Canada committing to its fair share in addressing the climate crisis this December at global climate negotiations in Copenhagen.

Increasing foreign ownership in the tar sands does little to ensure Canadian energy security (also a matter of national security). Energy security is reliant on planning for a transition to a low carbon future. This will not happen with the tar sands as one of the only remaining playgrounds for Big Oil and state-owned firms (but not our own) eager to secure access to dwindling energy reserves.

Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy Campaigner with the Council of Canadians