Presentation Abstract
Currently, more than a dozen oil, coal and liquid natural gas projects are proposed on both sides of the border, threatening the health of the Salish Sea and its communities, as well as the global climate. Recent estimates suggest that if all the projects were to be approved, each year they would generate an extra 308 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and an additional 1,200 ship journeys through the already-busy waters of the Salish Sea. Each fossil fuel project proposed in BC and Washington is currently being assessed in isolation from the others by the government agencies that are responsible for providing permits, without adequate consideration of the combined impacts both regionally and globally. Until recently, civil society opposition to these projects has also been largely place-based and project-specific.
However, BC and Washington residents are becoming increasingly aware of the region-wide picture of fossil fuel exports via the shared waters of the Salish Sea. A narrative is growing around the Pacific Northwest as the ‘thin green line’ between a land-locked fossil fuel industry and its overseas markets. This presentation will summarize the proposed projects and their combined impacts, and discuss the growing number of civil society initiatives aiming to unite BC and Washington communities in protecting the region as a whole from the threats posed by fossil fuel transport, and transforming the Salish Sea from a carbon corridor to a fossil fuel bottleneck. Cross-border assessment and protection tools, advocacy campaigns and grassroots projects will all be discussed.
Session Title
Fossil Fuel Export Panel
Conference Track
Fate and Effects of Pollutants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Fossil fuels--Transportation--Environmental aspects--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Public opinion
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons
Cross-border citizen action: Protecting the Salish Sea from the risks of fossil fuel transport
2016SSEC
Currently, more than a dozen oil, coal and liquid natural gas projects are proposed on both sides of the border, threatening the health of the Salish Sea and its communities, as well as the global climate. Recent estimates suggest that if all the projects were to be approved, each year they would generate an extra 308 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and an additional 1,200 ship journeys through the already-busy waters of the Salish Sea. Each fossil fuel project proposed in BC and Washington is currently being assessed in isolation from the others by the government agencies that are responsible for providing permits, without adequate consideration of the combined impacts both regionally and globally. Until recently, civil society opposition to these projects has also been largely place-based and project-specific.
However, BC and Washington residents are becoming increasingly aware of the region-wide picture of fossil fuel exports via the shared waters of the Salish Sea. A narrative is growing around the Pacific Northwest as the ‘thin green line’ between a land-locked fossil fuel industry and its overseas markets. This presentation will summarize the proposed projects and their combined impacts, and discuss the growing number of civil society initiatives aiming to unite BC and Washington communities in protecting the region as a whole from the threats posed by fossil fuel transport, and transforming the Salish Sea from a carbon corridor to a fossil fuel bottleneck. Cross-border assessment and protection tools, advocacy campaigns and grassroots projects will all be discussed.
