Doubling Alberta’s natural gas production could slash global emissions — even as Ottawa drags its feet

A new study is reinforcing what many in Alberta have long believed: Canada — and Alberta in particular — could make one of the biggest contributions to fighting climate change not by capping oil and gas output, but rather, by doubling natural gas production and exporting it abroad.According to the Fraser Institute, increasing Canadian natural gas output and exporting it as liquefied natural gas (LNG) to coal-dependent Asian markets could reduce global emissions by up to 630 million tonnes annually — a figure nearly equal to Canada’s total emissions from all sources, not just oil and gas.“If Alberta were allowed to fully unleash its natural gas potential, we could practically cancel out the country’s entire emissions footprint,” said Elmira Aliakbari, the study’s co-author and director of natural resource studies. “This is the scale of impact we’re talking about.”.The study, Exporting Canadian LNG to the World: A Practical Solution for Reducing GHG Emissions, finds that replacing coal-fired electricity in countries like China and India with cleaner-burning Canadian LNG could cut emissions by up to 62% per unit of power. The global impact would be equivalent to removing 137 million cars from the road.While global demand for natural gas is forecast to rise — especially in fast-growing Asia, where coal still dominates electricity generation — Canadian LNG remains stalled by what many in Alberta see as overregulation, federal roadblocks, and political hostility toward resource development.Notably, former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s infamous 2022 statement that there is “no business case” for LNG exports to countries like Germany has become a symbol of Ottawa’s reluctance to embrace the strategic value of Canadian energy..“That comment was not only tone-deaf — it was economically and geopolitically wrong,” said a senior Alberta energy executive speaking on background. “Now we see the consequences: Germany is burning more coal, Asian demand is booming, and Canada is sitting on the sidelines.”Alberta is home to some of the world’s largest, cleanest gas reserves and has already made significant strides in reducing upstream emissions. With the right infrastructure and policy support, the province could double gas production and deliver the LNG needed to fuel Asia’s transition away from coal.But instead of clearing the way, the federal government is pushing in the opposite direction — pressing forward with an emissions cap on oil and gas, a policy that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said would amount to a de facto production cap on the region’s most vital industry..“This is the paradox,” said Aliakbari. “Federal policies designed to reduce domestic emissions could end up increasing global emissions by blocking LNG projects that would help coal-burning nations cut their pollution dramatically.”For Alberta, the path forward is clear: expand gas production, build LNG infrastructure, and become a clean energy partner to the world. But that vision is increasingly at odds with a federal government prioritizing net-zero targets at home — even if it means greater emissions abroad.With international markets searching for reliable, cleaner alternatives to coal, and Alberta sitting on the solution, the only thing standing in the way may be politics — not physics, not technology, and certainly not demand..“If Ottawa is serious about climate leadership,” Aliakbari concluded, “it must start looking at the global picture — and that means unleashing Alberta’s LNG potential, not constraining it.”

Doubling Alberta’s natural gas production could slash global emissions — even as Ottawa drags its feet

Related Stories