Alberta UCP to vote on celebrating CO2, abandoning net-zero targets

A pumpjack can be seen in a field near Cremona, Alta., on Friday, July 29, 2022. (Jeff McIntosh)

A proposal to stop labelling carbon dioxide as a pollutant and instead celebrate it as a "foundational nutrient for all life on Earth" will be up for debate at the United Conservative Party's (UCP) annual general meeting in November.

The resolution, which includes abandoning Alberta’s net-zero targets, flies in the face of the scientific consensus that carbon dioxide emissions created by humans burning fossil fuels is one of the primary drivers of global warming. 

The increased temperatures, in turn, cause more frequent and extreme weather like wildfires, floods, heat waves, storms and droughts. 

A study published in Nature found the deadly 2021 heat dome in BC that killed more than 619 people was amplified by climate change, and that other events like the fires that tore through Jasper this summer are made more likely and exacerbated by climate change. 

The policy resolution put forward by the Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock and Red Deer South constituency associations says the carbon cycle is a biological necessity and "The earth needs more CO2 to support life and to increase plant yields, both of which will contribute to the health and prosperity of all Albertans."

"There weren't any scientists present when it was written," Stephen Legault, senior manager of Alberta energy transition at Environmental Defence, told Canada’s National Observer in a phone interview.

There is no acknowledgement that CO2 (from extracting and burning coal, oil and gas, forest fires and natural processes like volcanic eruptions) is one of the planet-warming greenhouse gasses driving the climate crisis.

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The word "climate" does not appear anywhere in the 38-page document of resolutions.

Policy resolutions are not legally binding, and whether or not members will vote in favour of the resolution remains to be seen.

More than 5,400 members are registered to attend the 2024 AGM in Red Deer to debate policy resolutions and vote in Party Leader Danielle Smith’s leadership review.

"If I had to put money on it, I would bet that it's going to pass," Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, told Canada’s National Observer in a phone interview.

There’s already been a vetting process to weed out some resolutions, but this one made it through, which suggests "someone in the party thinks that this is worth debating," Young said.

"I think this reminds us that the base of the UCP is host to a pretty substantial group of people who do not believe that climate change is real, or they don't believe that it is driven by human activity, and they think that any actions taken to transition away from fossil fuels are unnecessary."

The ruling UCP government has a self-described "aspiration" to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, but its plan lacks details and short-term targets.f

The policy resolution would acknowledge that the UCP wants Alberta to abandon those aspirations.

"Whether it gets passed or not, it's irrelevant," Legault said. "[Climate denial] shows in their policies and how they treat what is arguably one of the most important issues of our time."

While Smith does not deny climate change, the province is considering a second set of limitations on renewable energy development and opposes all federal climate policies from the carbon price to far less controversial methane reduction targets.

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Legault believes the resolution is "already de facto policy," pointing to Smith’s decision to launch a $7-million ad campaign against the federal government’s forthcoming regulations to rein in oil and gas sector emissions.

Last year, Alberta spent $8-million on a similar ad campaign aimed at forthcoming federal regulations to decarbonize Canada’s electricity grid by 2035.

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In the aftermath of the Jasper wildfire this summer, Smith would not acknowledge the connection between climate change and the devastating and extreme nature of the fires.

"From a policy perspective, a resolution like this doesn't make any difference whatsoever, but it reveals a fundamental bias against science that underpins this government," Legault said.

"I think it helps people understand that this is a group of decision makers who are not grounded in reality, but who are instead happy to pander to the very extremes that exist in our society."

The resolution states that "CO2 is presently at around 420 ppm, near the lowest level in over 1,000 years."

This statement is false, according to NOAA, which reports that the last time atmospheric carbon dioxide amounts were this high was roughly 3 million years ago. 

Young said the rejection of science illustrated in this policy resolution and others related to COVID-19 vaccines is reflective of attitudes within the UCP base "to a considerable extent."

"Will we see the Government of Alberta adopt this as policy? No," Young said. "Does this kind of thinking inform some of the policies that we do see them pursue? I think to a certain extent, they do."

CTV News Edmonton reached out to Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock and Red Deer South MLAs Jason Stephan and Glenn van Dijken for comment and is awaiting a response.