The original promise wasn’t exactly a figure that was kept quiet. The Oil Sands Alliance talked it up in countless news releases, editorials and widespread advertising campaigns. The government was boasting about it too, in a presentation to U.S. lawmakers just six months ago.
I dug into the discrepancy in a story this week, exploring why the figures changed so dramatically — and so quietly. The Oil Sands Alliance, which will build the carbon capture project, didn’t respond to questions, but some experts did.
Patrick McCurdy, a professor of communications, told me it was part of a pattern of greenwashing by oil companies — making claims they won’t live up to, walking back yardsticks, and essentially getting the social licence to keep extracting oil.
“They have that now with [Prime Minister Mark] Carney,” McCurdy said.
Now that it’s panned out, the vision of a net-zero oilsands has all but disappeared.
It’s no wonder it can feel difficult to keep your finger on the pulse and separate fact from fiction.
Take care and mind your mind,
Drew Anderson
Prairies reporter
P.S. The email version of this newsletter incorrectly referred to the Oil Sands Alliance as the Oilsands Alliance.
Source:
EHN
