Pledge comes as it proposes an oilsands project that, if approved, would add an estimated four million tonnes of carbon per year to the atmosphere
Teck Resources Ltd. has joined a growing throng of companies that have formally pledged to cut their carbon emissions to net-zero as it awaits a federal decision on whether it can build a massive new project in the Alberta oilsands.
After all, Teck is proposing an oilsands project that, if approved, would add an estimated four million tonnes of carbon per year to the atmosphere. It also operates 12 mines that produce coal, copper, zinc and lead, and a major smelter. In total, its operations emitted 2.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2018, roughly in line with 2015 emissions, according to its most recent sustainability report.
Doug Brown, Teck’s director of public affairs, said ESG investors were “a factor,” but did not drive the decision, which was under discussion for more than a year. Nor did British Columbia’s carbon tax, which Teck estimates cost it $50 million per year, he said. The company said that since 2011 it has reduced emissions by 289,000 tonnes. But that is a fraction of what is needed to get to net-zero by 2050.
“A dose of skepticism on whether they can achieve it is quite healthy,” said Marla Orenstein, director of the natural resources centre at the Canada West Foundation. “It doesn’t undercut in my mind the importance of a public declaration of intention.”
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