For Immediate Release
6 July, 2022
Responding to comments made in St. John’s this morning by Federal Minister of Natural Resources alongside their provincial counterpart, the NL NDP expressed disappointment about commitments being made to the oil and gas industry past the 2050 deadline with no commitment to a plan for just transition.
“While we appreciate that the Federal Minister acknowledged the fact that the world will be transitioning away from oil and gas consumption, it is frustrating to hear 30 year commitments for new oil developments. Both the federal and provincial governments pay lip service to the need of transitioning,” said Dinn.
“The NL NDP and the public have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of any concrete transition plan and why the NL NDP chose to publish talking points and call for a discussion on the reality of our futures,” said Jim Dinn, Leader and MHA for St.John’s Centre. “To quote the Secretary General of the United Nations: ‘Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But, the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels…Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness. Such investments will soon be stranded assets’”
Dinn points to the ever-increasing impacts of climate change that are fueling the globe’s move away from fossil fuels.
“Japan is experiencing the hottest summer on record, daily temperatures in India hit record highs this year we couldn’t imagine experiencing. Canada and the US are experiencing more and more wildfires every year, and the South Western US is facing a fresh water crisis impacting crops we buy in our grocery stores,” said Dinn. “In this province we are already paying the price for climate change and it is extremely frustrating that this government is actively committing to fueling climate change and the costs associated with it. They’ve found a new albatross to put around the necks of future generations who are going to have to manage the fiscal reality created by increased fossil fuel outputs.”
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The NL NDP’s Just Transition for Workers and Private Members Resolution on a Just Transition can both be viewed here: https://www.nl.ndp.ca/justtransitionplanforworkers
NDP Caucus Office, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 ˑ 709-729-0270 ˑ