Message From the Editor

Tariffs, colonialism, minimalist government. We’ve taken a giant step backward to the age of robber barons and industrialists since Donald Trump became U.S. president, as he threatens to take over Canada and instigates global trade wars.

We know Canada struggles with the perils of coming into Trump’s crosshairs. But, like the ongoing step backward in the United States, Canada also jumped back in time recently by approving a colossal $20 billion loan for the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline project. Remember TMX? It transports crude and refined oil from Alberta to British Columbia’s coast in an attempt to boost Canada’s oil exports to Asia.

Taylor Noakes writes that support for TMX means struggling Canadians end up paying the price as global fossil fuel companies reap the rewards, since the loan further subsidizes a profitable industry while ordinary citizens struggle through an affordability crisis. 

The threat of Trump’s tariffs may have accelerated the loan approval as oil producers look to boost sales to non-U.S. markets. But can Canada truly be a climate champion, as it once promised, while doubling down on fossil fuel infrastructure? Read more here.

If Pierre Poilievre, the nation’s Conservative Party leader, becomes the next prime minister, that promise will be totally squashed. Taylor Noakes took a deep dive into Poilievre’s recent interview on Canadian conservative influencer Jordan Peterson’s podcast. (Like Trump, Peterson is a climate denier who has called climate change a “hoax.”)

Despite big environmental risks and a potentially oversaturated market, over the next two years, Poilievre wants to go all in on LNG. “Why are we still importing oil when we have the world’s third-biggest supply?” Poilievre asked. “Why is it we can’t export our natural gas overseas?” 

Is this vision rooted in reality — or is it simply another shortsighted play that ignores environmental urgency and market trends? Dive into the story here.

And, finally, Peterson’s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) will sponsor a London conference next week that features a full cast of climate deniers, from the UK’s Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage to Trump’s MAGA network and individuals who have falsely claimed that global warming “is probably doing good,” and have called climate activists “eco fascists,” as Sam Bright writes.

Another step backward, indeed.

Stay tuned as DeSmog follows the story over the next few weeks.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected]. Want to know what our UK team is up to? Sign up for our UK newsletter. 

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Readers like you power our journalism dedicated to climate accountability. Can you donate $10 or $20 right now to support more of this essential work?

Credit: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Pierre Poilievre Keen on Canadian LNG Despite Economic and Environmental Risk 

— By Taylor Noakes (6 min. read) —

His push for more gas development alarms climate change experts amid growing evidence of declining global LNG demand.

Canada OKs ‘Massive’ $20 Billion Loan for Trans-Mountain Pipeline

— By Taylor Noakes (5 min. read) —

Critics say support for TMX means struggling Canadians end up paying the price as global fossil fuel companies “reap the rewards.”

Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage to Speak at ‘Glastonbury for Climate Deniers’

— By Sam Bright (7 min. read) —

A pro-Trump, pro-oil oligarchy is being convened by a group backed by the owners of GB News, campaigners say.

Ad Giant WPP Has Broken International Guidelines on Climate and Human Rights, Charge Campaigners

— By Ellen Ormesher (4 min) —

Ad Giant WPP Has Broken International Guidelines on Climate and Human Rights, Charge Campaigners

Ad Firms Make Oil Companies Look Green. Here’s Six Ways They Greenwash Themselves.

— By Kathryn Clare and Cartie Werthman (14 min. read) —

New research reveals how Dentsu, Havas, Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, and WPP cast themselves as climate champions.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: ARC

ARC was launched by Jordan Peterson in 2023 and includes “public intellectuals” Arthur Brooks, Niall Ferguson, and Bjorn Lomborg among the 30 individuals on its initial organizing committee. From February to April 2023, near the time of ARC’s launch, Jordan Peterson interviewed several key individuals downplaying the need for action on climate change, including Judith Curry, Bjorn Lomborg, Alex Epstein, and Steven E Koonin. In his interview with Judith Curry, Peterson expressed the view that “one of the consequences of extra carbon dioxide output is that the planet has greened 15 percent  since the dawn of the millennia.” Speaking with Lomborg, who is also on the ARC organizing committee, Peterson commented: “I see the climate apocalyptic catastrophizing as a form of religious striving. I think it’s unsophisticated and ill-aimed and contaminated with a fair bit of malevolence.”

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database, Ad & PR Database, and Koch Network Database.