Climatologists have warned: the construction of a giant gas storage facility will destroy the nature of an entire region

Climate scientists are demanding that the Joe Biden administration freeze construction of one of the world’s largest gas export centers. Experts analyzed and determined that this project would impact the already eroding Gulf Coastline and the local population. “The world has never been hotter—why on earth are we even talking about finding a way to release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?” – activists are sounding the alarm.

Environmentalists are opposed to Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2), a $10 billion gas hub project in Cameron Parish on the Louisiana coast. Experts believe that the construction and further operation of the enterprise will destroy nature. The gas export and production center’s activities are estimated to result in an additional 3.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, close to the annual emissions of the entire European Union.

The CP2 project will include a facility to transport fracked gas through a new pipeline to a terminal where it will be condensed into a liquid, cooled to -162 degrees Celsius and shipped onto ships for export to global markets, including Europe.

The center, once built, will supply up to 24 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) every year. It is noteworthy that 10 years ago the United States did not send natural gas abroad, but now it is one of the largest exporters.

According to a representative from the construction company Venture Global, “Activists who want to reduce greenhouse emissions are actually advocating for limiting access to cleaner forms of energy and depriving millions of people of energy security. This will only lead to continued and increased use of coal and will prevent reductions in global emissions.”

Environmental groups have warned that Biden risks taking the country back to a time when the fight against the climate crisis was less advanced, jeopardizing international climate goals and derailing the world’s hope of avoiding catastrophic global warming. Let us remind you that by 2050, Biden seeks to zero out US greenhouse emissions.

According to The Guardian, the decision to build the center is awaiting approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc), as well as the US Department of Energy. Activists expressed hope that the government will refuse plans, the scale of which is still unknown to most Americans.

“The fact that we are even considering doing something like this in 2023, which scientists say is the planet’s hottest year in 125,000 years, is obscene and dangerous,” the climate activist and co-founder of 350 said. .org Bill McKibben.

Export industry statistics claim that sending CP2 tankers to other countries not only creates jobs within the US, but also displaces coal: “The well-funded environmental activists who oppose the center and all projects are completely out of touch with reality,” said a Venture Global representative. The company also expressed hope to begin the project in 2026.

Critics point out that gas drilling, mining and flaring is a major driver of the climate crisis. Citing research, activists argue that while gas emits less carbon dioxide than coal, it leaks large amounts of methane.

Former CP2 EPA official Jeremy Simons called the construction a “carbon megabomb.” According to figures Simons shared with The Guardian, the project would generate 197 million tons of planet-warming gases each year, not including other US emissions.

According to climate scientists, the scale of emissions will be 20 times greater than the Willow oil project in Alaska, which was approved by the Biden administration in the spring.

Several Democrats have criticized the Biden administration for repeatedly approving huge gas projects. Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley called for an end to the “fossil fuel industry’s takeover of the country” after a separate gas plant in the Pacific Northwest was approved last week: “Ferc may be a little-known federal agency to most people, but there’s something on the horizon.” important decisions that will determine it.”

It is noted that the very soil of Louisiana may rebel against the construction of CP2. The Gulf of Mexico coastline is gradually subsiding while being impacted by rising sea levels, ironically caused by the climate crisis. Construction company Venture Global has said it plans to build a 30-foot wall around CP2 to protect it from the encroaching ocean, but some experts question the viability of such a plan.

“This is probably the worst place in the US. If the idea is that it will be an isolated fortress surrounded by water, then that’s not a problem, but I think people will want to work there, go in and out,” said Tulane University geologist Torbjorn Tornqvist.