Gwyn Morgan Declares Net Zero Dead, Questions Carney's Continued Advocacy
In a striking critique of contemporary climate policy, former oil and gas executive Gwyn Morgan has declared that the concept of net zero emissions is effectively dead. This declaration comes despite Prime Minister Mark Carney's continued advocacy for climate measures, even as his administration has shifted carbon taxation from consumers to businesses.
The Historical Context of Climate Declarations
The first World Climate Conference in 1979 adopted a declaration urging governments to prevent man-made climate changes adverse to humanity. Morgan, who was then president of a Calgary-based oil company and volunteer-president of the Independent Petroleum Association of Canada, viewed this as a declaration of war against the fossil fuel industry. While his industry colleagues hesitated to challenge the global climate elite, Morgan believed confrontation was essential for an industry that formed the bedrock of western Canada's economy.
"My public commentary was condemned as evidence that I was only out to save the oil and gas industry," Morgan recalls, emphasizing that his motivation extended beyond corporate interests.
Historical Climate Patterns Challenge Modern Narratives
Morgan points to historical climate events that predate modern climate conferences as evidence that extreme weather isn't exclusively a recent phenomenon. He references the "Dirty Thirties" in southeastern Alberta, when temperatures soared to 43°C, rain ceased, and dust storms devastated agricultural communities. Settlers, including his wife's grandparents, survived by eating rabbits and gophers while navigating blinding dust storms.
Contrary to net-zero advocates' rhetoric, half of Canada's 20 hottest days occurred before the 1979 World Climate Conference, Morgan asserts, challenging the narrative that current climate extremes are unprecedented.
The Escalating War on Fossil Fuels
Climate conferences throughout the 1980s and 1990s featured increasingly alarmist rhetoric. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol committed 37 industrialized countries to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2012. This agreement marked the beginning of what Morgan describes as an earnest war on fossil fuels.
The 2012 conference in Qatar saw rich countries commit to reducing emissions by at least 18% below 1990 levels by 2020. Morgan characterizes these targets as breathtakingly naive, noting that countries accounting for over half of global emissions—including China, Russia, and India—continued rapid growth without constraint.
The Reality of Global Emission Patterns
Virtually all Asian, Middle Eastern, and South American nations showed no intention of participating in Kyoto Protocol commitments, with their emissions continuing to rise unabated. This global disparity in climate commitment created what Morgan views as an unworkable framework for meaningful emission reductions.
The 22nd climate conference in Morocco in November 2016 occurred shortly after Canadians elected the Trudeau government. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna led one of the largest delegations among 100 countries—a 225-person contingent that Morgan notes cost taxpayers significantly in emissions-spewing flights.
The Political Landscape Shifts
Just 24 hours after the Morocco conference opened, then-president-elect Donald Trump declared man-made global warming a "big hoax" perpetrated by China and other countries seeking to steal American jobs. This declaration fundamentally altered the global climate conversation and left what Morgan describes as a dramatically reduced coalition to address climate concerns.
With major players sidelined, only the European Union, Japan, Australia, and Canada remained committed to climate action. These nations represented just 16.6% of global emissions combined, with Canada contributing a mere 1.6%.
Canada's Continued Pursuit of Net Zero
Despite this limited global participation, the Trudeau government implemented carbon taxes and taxpayer-funded subsidies for wind and solar power in pursuit of its "net-zero" objectives. Morgan questions the effectiveness of these measures given the broader global context and the recent shift of carbon taxation from consumers to businesses under current policies.
The fundamental question Morgan poses is why Prime Minister Carney continues to advocate for net zero policies when the concept has effectively failed on the global stage, with major emitting nations refusing to participate meaningfully in emission reduction efforts.
