A few months ago, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into “carbon bombs,” or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as planned, these projects alone would blow past internationally agreed upon climate targets. For our seventh deep dive on carbon bombs, we take a look at the Montney Formation: a 130,000 square kilometer natural gas play stretching across the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta that is home to the sixth highest emitting oil and gas project on the planet. Beyond climate impacts, fracking in the Montney Formation has led to air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, seismic activity, and land disputes, seeing as much of the region is on Treaty 8 land where First Nation communities have a legal right to their traditional livelihoods. Today, we explore what issues have arisen due to fracking in the Montney Formation, how those issues impact the health and livelihoods of locals, and what comes next for this region of Canada. With special guest Dr. Elyse Caron-Beaudoin: Assistant Pprofessor of Environmental Health at the University of Toronto, Scarborough.
The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change. You can learn more at pbs.org/perilandpromise.
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CREDITS
Writers: Owen Reith, Maddy Schmidt, Ethan Brown
Fact Checker: Megan Crimmins
Editor: Megan Antone
Producers: Ethan Brown, Hallie Cordingley, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Maddy Schmidt
Ad Voiceover: Madeleine Salman
Music: Brett Sawka
The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.