A CBC investigation examines the Pathways carbon capture project in Canada's oilsands, four years after it was announced. The project aims to capture and store CO2 from about 20 facilities near Cold Lake, Alberta, but its scope has shrunk from an initial target of 22 million tonnes per year by 2030 to roughly 6 million tonnes by the mid-2030s. The oilsands emit over 90 million tonnes of CO2 annually. The key question is who will cover the cost, which could reach $30 billion. The federal government has committed investment tax credits and additional operating support, but critics argue that public funding for a profitable industry weakens incentives for actual emissions cuts. Alberta's carbon credit market, where TIER credits trade around $35 per tonne, is too low to make the project viable without subsidies. The article highlights a central tension in carbon policy: whether government support enables real decarbonization or simply props up continued fossil fuel production. The answer depends on how the funding structure is designed and whether carbon prices rise enough to create a self-sustaining market.
