Author: CREDNB

New Brunswick’s offshore wind energy resources could replace our coal and nuclear energy

NB Power must close its Belledune coal energy plant by 2030. The utility is betting that new nuclear reactors (SMRs) will be built by that date to generate replacement energy. However offshore wind power could replace not only Belledune but also the Point Lepreau nuclear plant, and developing wind power would eliminate the need for more nuclear reactors. We can look to the U.S., the U.K. and the E.U. for guidance. Read the article by Martin Bush, published by the NB Media Co-op, HERE.

Letter to Banks: nuclear power is a terrible investment

CRED-NB is one of 13 New Brunswick groups and 65 other groups across Canada that signed a letter sent to the CEO’s of the six big banks this week. The letter urges the banks to EXCLUDE nuclear from its responsible investment portfolio. The letter is on our home page, and we’re encouraging everyone to download a copy of the letter to your own bank, and send it to your bank manager. More info HERE.

Participate in the Point Lepreau nuclear reactor licence hearing

NB Power has applied for a 25 year licence to run the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generation Station (PLNGS) until 2047. The current licence is for five years and expires in June this year.

CRED-NB and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) will be intervening in the upcoming hearing by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to review the NB Power application.

The CNSC hearing period is open now. Click HERE to see how to participate.

Climate Change Won’t Wait for Politics

Geopolitical events are persuading some governments to re-invest in fossil fuel infrastructure. Jim Emberger from the New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance (NBASGA, a CRED-NB core group) wrote a letter in response to a commentary in Brunswick news calling for more fossil fuel extraction in Canada. He writes:

Climate change is happening so rapidly that many plants and animals may not be able to adapt or move in time to survive.  Crop losses due to climate related weather, and diseases due to invasive species, whose expansion is enabled by warmer conditions, are all on the rise.

None of these trends cares a whit about Ukraine, or Canada’s fossil fuel industry. The laws of physics do not respond to political and economic events, nor can you bargain with them.  If we burn more fossil fuels – the climate will warm – period.

Read the letter HERE, on the NBASGA website.

Video: Decarbonization, Lock-in and Transition in Eastern Canada

Do you know what carbon “lock-in” is, and how it keeps us tied to fossil fuel infrastructure in New Brunswick? If not, check out this video by JP Sapinski, professor of environmental studies at Université de Moncton. The story with the video link was published by the NB Media Co-op, HERE.

The video is Sapinski’s a zoom presentation, hosted by the Environment & Society program at St. Thomas University and the RAVEN project at the University of New Brunswick (both CRED-NB core members).

CRED-NB submission to the NB consultation on the climate change action plan

Today CRED-NB submitted a brief to the Standing Committee of the NB Legislature on climate change and environmental stewardship. Our brief notes that we appreciate the Government’s commitment to moving toward a zero-emissions electricity system while creating economic opportunities. However, we outline why the chosen pathway–backing private companies to develop SMRs–is deeply flawed and will fail to meet these expectations, at great cost to New Brunswickers. Read or download the brief HERE.