Kinder Morgan Canada boss doesn’t know if humans cause climate change
Posted November 3, 2016 1:00 pm.
Last Updated November 3, 2016 5:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The president of Kinder Morgan admits he doesn’t know whether or not we’re causing climate change. This comes as the company attempts to expand its Trans Mountain pipeline, a $6.8 billion project that would triple capacity.
Speaking at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, President of Kinder Morgan Canada Ian Anderson was asked about the argument from environmentalists that we should leave all fossil fuels in the ground. And instead of the typical language about striking a balance between the economy and the environment we’ve come to expect from pipeline advocates, Anderson is casting doubt on the role of humans in causing our planet to warm.
“We won’t all agree on the science,” says Anderson. “We won’t all agree on the degree to which man influences greenhouse gases and climate change. I’ve read the science on both sides, and I don’t pretend to know which is right.”
His comments are in direct conflict with the view of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has found human influence on the climate is clear.
The executive is also worried Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is telling the public about a Trans Mountain expansion that differs from what’s actually proposed.
“He’s describing a project that’s different than the one we’re intending to build,” says Anderson. “It’s a project, in his mind, that’s a ticking time bomb of catastrophic consequence that isn’t in touch with, I believe, the reality of the design.”
Anderson also says he hasn’t spoken with Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan since 2011, but says he has an “open door.”
In a follow up statement from Ian Anderson says the discussion around climate change is an important one, “and one that I have not shied away from. There should be no misunderstanding in what I think or believe. Climate change is real. Fossil fuels lead to higher CO2, which in turn contributes to climate change.”
The Trans Mountain pipeline runs from the oilsands in the Edmonton region to Burnaby. This expansion is estimated to increase tanker traffic on the coast by seven times.
