Alberta’s ruling United Conservative Party voted overwhelmingly to dump the province’s emission targets, among 34 other policy resolutions voted on at its annual general meeting.
The policy resolution called for the party to abandon net-zero targets, remove carbon dioxide as a pollutant, and recognize that carbon dioxide is a foundational nutrient for all life on Earth.
All 35 party resolutions were passed, including the CO2 motion.
In a media availability, Premier Danielle Smith said that her government would still work towards the oil and gas industry pledge of net zero by 2050 but did not provide any firm details. This has been a continuing trend for Smith, who has not outlined any real policy besides discussing carbon capture in generalities.
Smith also ensured Albertans that she would honour the spirit of the resolution but not the exact text.
To no one’s surprise, Smith took the opportunity to bash the federal government and environmental groups, saying in the press availability:
I don’t think our members oppose efforts to reduce emissions, but they do oppose the efforts of the federal government and a coalition of extreme environmentalists who want to stop the production of oil and gas altogether, and absolutely, we’ll be fighting against that.
