Oppose New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure
Préambule
WHEREAS the International Energy Agency has stated that existing infrastructure and that projected to be completed by 2017 will account for the entirety of the carbon budget remaining if humanity is to keep within even a 2 degree Celsius limit of warming; and
WHEREAS the Copenhagen Accord, which Canada has signed, has indicated that a limit of 1.5 degrees may be more appropriate;
Dispositif
BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada will oppose the construction of most major new fossil fuel infrastructure, including pipelines, refineries, power stations, mines, LNG terminals, fracking projects and others, unless replacing existing infrastructure in such a way as to further reduce emissions in the long term.
Contexte
The cost of building infrastructure is expected to be covered over the lifetime use of that infrastructure. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to force companies to retire infrastructure before the end of its lifetime. The International Energy Agency evaluated the lifetime of existing fossil fuel infrastructure, and calculated the emissions involved if all of it reaches its expected lifetime. The results were sobering. The infrastructure projected to be completed by 2017 will use up the entire global carbon budget by the end of its useful life. The situation may be even more serious because the carbon budget they were using is based on a limit to warming of 2 degrees, which is almost surely too high. We have run out of opportunities to build new infrastructure within our carbon budget.
This motion does not limit the production of small infrastructure (building scale or vehicles), but it puts a cold stop on major infrastructure that would lock us in to many decades of additional heavy use, unless it is replacing less efficient but still functional infrastructure that will be closed forever.
Code
Type de résolution
Auteur
Commentaire officiel du parti
The motion is consistent with GPC core values and earlier approved policy. The motion will mandate the Green Party to oppose any new construction of major fossil fuel infrastructure. The motion conflicts with motion G14-P26.
Préambule
WHEREAS the International Energy Agency has stated that existing infrastructure and that projected to be completed by 2017 will account for the entirety of the carbon budget remaining if humanity is to keep within even a 2 degree Celsius limit of warming; and
WHEREAS the Copenhagen Accord, which Canada has signed, has indicated that a limit of 1.5 degrees may be more appropriate;
Dispositif
BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada will oppose the construction of most major new fossil fuel infrastructure, including pipelines, refineries, power stations, mines, LNG terminals, fracking projects and others, unless replacing existing infrastructure in such a way as to further reduce emissions in the long term.
Commanditaires
Contexte
The cost of building infrastructure is expected to be covered over the lifetime use of that infrastructure. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to force companies to retire infrastructure before the end of its lifetime. The International Energy Agency evaluated the lifetime of existing fossil fuel infrastructure, and calculated the emissions involved if all of it reaches its expected lifetime. The results were sobering. The infrastructure projected to be completed by 2017 will use up the entire global carbon budget by the end of its useful life. The situation may be even more serious because the carbon budget they were using is based on a limit to warming of 2 degrees, which is almost surely too high. We have run out of opportunities to build new infrastructure within our carbon budget.
This motion does not limit the production of small infrastructure (building scale or vehicles), but it puts a cold stop on major infrastructure that would lock us in to many decades of additional heavy use, unless it is replacing less efficient but still functional infrastructure that will be closed forever.
Commentaire officiel du parti
The motion is consistent with GPC core values and earlier approved policy. The motion will mandate the Green Party to oppose any new construction of major fossil fuel infrastructure. The motion conflicts with motion G14-P26.