McMaster U needs to stop the greenwashing

A McMaster spokesperson responded to their actions on Friday by stating, “Every institution chooses its own path in achieving its sustainability goals and we’ve made significant steps forward in making sure McMaster is a leader in reaching net carbon zero as soon as we can.”

That statement is completely at odds with the university’s decision to invest in a greenhouse gas-spewing power plant right on its own campus. In fact, spending millions of dollars on a gas power plant at a time when alternatives like solar, wind and storage are proven and lower cost solutions, is one strange way to reach “net carbon zero as soon as we can.”

It also flies in the face of the warning from Canada’s former environment minister Catherine McKenna, now chair of the UN’s High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Emissions Commitments, that greenwashing has to end. “You cannot claim to be net zero by continuing to build or invest in new fossil fuel supply.”

McMaster’s plan to locate four gas turbines on a sensitive natural area on its campus is really just about quick and dirty money – not the climate. In other words, McMaster is planning to pump out greenhouse gases and nitrogen oxides into one of Canada’s most polluted airsheds for decades as it stumbles toward its net zero goal.

What is abundantly clear is that McMaster is talking out of both sides of its mouth, claiming that is moving faster than many other institutions on divesting from fossil fuels, while ramping up its own emissions.

Fortunately, the students of McMaster are smart enough to see through the university’s PR smokescreen and demand real action. We definitely don’t want to see students having to resort to actions like this to get a sensible response from a leading post-secondary institution.

Please contact McMaster’s president and board of governors and tell them to stop greenwashing and start acting on their stated values.