A Pipeline That Won't Be Built and the Real Trade Beneath the Canadian Climate Deal - CleanTechnica

The article analyzes the Canadian Smith Carney memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning climate policy and a new crude oil pipeline, challenging the initial perception that the federal government is retreating on climate commitments in exchange for pipeline support. Instead, it argues the deal represents a political compromise where symbolic backing for a pipeline—unlikely to be constructed given market realities and financing challenges—is traded for concrete improvements in industrial carbon pricing and methane emissions control. The pipeline primarily exists in political rhetoric rather than in capital markets or regulatory feasibility, making the climate setbacks smaller than they appear, while the environmental gains may be more significant than commonly recognized. The piece contextualizes the current deal by revisiting the earlier agreement between Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which balanced Alberta’s introduction of a carbon price and emissions caps with federal support for the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline. While that deal initially made sense as it brought Alberta into a national climate framework, the federal government’s later decision to purchase and develop the pipeline transformed it