NorthAmOil: COP27 - Canada faces criticism for oil and gas stance

Though global delegates have left COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, the criticism of Canada’s stance on fossil fuels is still sharp.

Canada was lambasted by activists for refusing to sign a final agreement to phase out oil and gas, but it also challenged other countries to adopt carbon pricing as a key element of climate strategy.

A broad coalition of more than 80 countries had backed the call, which ultimately was not included in the conference’s final statement.

Ottawa’s Environment Minister, Steven Guilbeault, a former green activist, contended that provinces and territories would likely sue if there were an attempt to halt oil and gas production. Canada is the fourth-largest producer of oil and the sixth-largest producer of natural gas in the world, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).