Here are the top news stories covering Canada’s energy landscape:

Canada Has Huge Opportunity for Energy Growth

As 2019 ends and 2020 begins, the global demand for energy is only set to increase over the next two decades. According to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2019, global energy demand will increase by 24 percent by 2040 and oil and natural gas will make up 53 percent of the total energy used.

Meeting this energy demand will be particularly important for developing nations—currently, there are more than one billion people without access to electricity. Exporting Canadian resources, like LNG, can help displace more emissions intense fuels that are currently used in countries around the world, particularly in Asia.

Yet Canada also has opportunity to provide energy to developed nations. For example, as the United Kingdom breaks away from the European Union under Brexit, there are new opportunities for Canada to provide the country with LNG. This is good news for the Albertan and British Columbian governments, which have been working together on the LNG Canada project, as well as the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

One of the best ways to meet this demand—with energy that is among the most responsibly produced in the world—is to expand Canada’s reach to new global markets. The construction of new pipelines is necessary for this goal, which will not only help Canada economically through reaching new markets, but will also decrease emissions.

Activists Continue to Target Canadian Energy Industry

Unfortunately, activists continue to target Canada’s energy industry and block the construction of pipelines. The expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline—which is gaining support among British Columbians—would help bring Alberta oil to further markets around the world. The pipeline has faced significant legal challenges, spurred by environmental activists. In a recent piece for the Edmonton Journal, Peter Flynn explains why environmental activists should advocate for more energy exports from Canada, not fewer:

“But here is a fact that may be painful for those who exaggerate Canada’s climate impact: Canada’s export of natural gas, delivered to the west or east by pipelines and liquefied to LNG, is a major factor in reducing global carbon emissions … A person with a true concern for climate change should insist that Canada export LNG, especially to India and China, with the hope that old coal plants will be replaced by modern combined-cycle natural gas-fired plants, as has occurred in the U.S.”

Despite facing significant challenges from activists, Canada’s oil and natural gas industry does have hope for righting the record on how these fuels can help improve people’s lives in Canada and around the world. Activist Michael Shellenberger, one of the leading advocates for clean energy, has recognized how vital oil and natural gas are. In a recent interview he described the necessity of gasoline for transportation:

“The carbon density of gasoline … is such an amazing advantage, how much energy and power and endless range you can get in an internal combustion engine. So that’s not going to go away very soon.”

Also giving hope to Canada’s oi land natural gas industry is the creation of Alberta’s Canadian Energy Centre, which is righting the record on energy industry misinformation and ensuring that the public has educational resources to understand how Canadian energy production benefits the entire world.

For more Canadian energy news and setting the record straight on the day’s top stories about the oil and natural gas industry, visit Canadian Energy Network.