Greenhouse gas emissions would jump as high as 40 million metric tonnes a year, if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved.
That’s according to a Near Zero climate impact study which surveyed 26 oilsands experts. Almost 70 per cent said the pipeline would increase production over the next 10 to 20 years.
“This report examines three main scenarios discussed by participants in our survey: one in which oil sands from Keystone XL adds to total world oil supply, one in which it replaces heavy crudes, and one in which oil sands are transported by rail instead,” said report co-author Christine Shearer, a researcher at the University of California Irvine. “In all of these scenarios, Keystone XL would likely raise greenhouse gas emissions.”
It says the increase in annual CO2 emissions by 2035 would range between 1 to 40 million metric tonnes if oilsands replace heavy crude. Authors say that’s an average annual increase of 220,000 barrels per day by 2015 and more than 900,000 barrels per day by 2035.
