Trudeau was responding to a question about his decision in late November to authorize an increase in the capacity of two oil pipelines in the country's west, which will increase Canada's export capacity by nearly a million barrels a day.

"We can't shut down the oil sands tomorrow. We need to phase them out," Trudeau told a town-hall meeting in Peterborough, Ontario, on Friday. "We need to manage the transition off our dependence on fossil fuels."

Canada is the world's sixth-largest oil producer.

Outraged

His comments led to outrage on social media and criticism from Alberta politicians, with provincial premier Rachel Notley saying the oil sands were "not going anywhere any time soon."

The English-speaking province has a history of disagreements with the Francophone east of the country, where the Trudeau family are from.

Alberta opposition leader Brian Jean said the oil and gas industry provides thousands of well-paid jobs.

"If Trudeau wants to shut it down he'll have to go through me and four million Albertans first," he said.

Jason Kenney, a former federal Conservative minister and leadership candidate for Alberta's provincial Conservative party, said the oil sands represent trillions of dollars of future wealth for Canadian families.

"That's our ability to pay for pensions, health care, and infrastructure and education. It also represents hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs for working, middle-income families," Kenney said.

Ecological concerns

Environmental activists are critical of projects involving oil sands because of their economic and environmental costs. Oil locked in the subsoil of the boreal forest must be extracted by a long, polluting and energy-intensive process.

The oil is profitable only when global prices are high. Two major oil companies, Shell and Statoil, pulled out of the Canadian oil sands late last year.

Trudeau is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet the requirements of the UN Paris Agreement on climate change. The prime minister last year announced a national carbon tax effective in 2018.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 January: Climate chaos Instability in the climatic system is causing extreme winter weather. We entered 2016 full of doubts - and fear - over global warming. DW Environment followed up on how much "crazy weather" can actually be tied to climate change.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 February: Hold your breath The shortest month didn't allow us to catch our breath - literally. Air pollution - from Germany to China to India - has came into focus as a major cause of premature death worldwide. The health effects of polluted air are a growing issue.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 March: Nuclear's legacy The fifth anniversary of the Fukushima disaster reminded us of the risks of nuclear power. Germany is carrying on with a nuclear phase-out as part of its "Energiewende" transition to renewable energy sources. But more than 100 nuclear reactors are still running across Europe.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 April: Standoff at Standing Rock In April, a few members of North Dakota's Standing Rock Sioux nation started protesting to save the Missouri River. By September, the movement had gained momentum internationally. In December, the US Army Corps of Engineers effectively halted the pipeline construction. It was a landmark success for Native Americans and environmentalists. However, the controversial plan is far from over.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 May: Alarm over coral bleaching The year 2016 saw a global coral bleaching event tied to El Nino and climate change. Following warnings over previous months, coral bleaching of Australia's Great Barrier Reef became a harsh reality that finally made headlines. At least a third of corals in the northern and central parts of the world's largest coral reef system were perishing.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 June: From one extreme to another The mid-way point of the year also brought extreme weather - and fears regarding climate change. High temperatures led to devastating wildfires. Drought affected thousands of people around the world, while deadly flooding took its toll as well. No surprise, 2016 has been the hottest year on record.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 July: When politics touches the environment The unexpected result of the UK's Brexit referendum in June also had consequences for European climate protection and fishing policies. One of the first announced measures of post-Brexit Prime Minister Theresa May, was to eliminate the UK's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 August: It's not just about sports With the Olympic Games happening, it was time to take a hard look at pollution. Waste-filled Guanabara Bay, an Olympic sailing venue, was in the spotlight due to health concerns for both participants and the local population. For some, the conclusion was clear: the Games were a missed opportunity to tackle pollution and create a more sustainable city.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 September: Climate agreement gets push As if in a wave, countries around the world ratified the Paris climate agreement. The world's two largest emitters, China and the United States, were among the first announcing their ratification, followed by dozens of others. The Paris climate pact finally entered into force on November 4, at unprecedented speed.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 October: Biodiversity in focus The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference, held in Johannesburg, brought into focus the plight of species that are victim to trade and trafficking. Elephants, rhinoceroses and pangolins may soon go extinct if protection measures are not successful.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 November: The world is rocked Trump! Enough said - but of course DW analyzed in-depth the environmental consequences of the US presidential election. Fear that Donald Trump could threaten crucial climate goals such as the Paris agreement spread like wildfire. The future US president has openly denied climate change, along with most of his cabinet and agency picks.

Moments that shaped the environment in 2016 December: Hottest year As with the year before, 2016 set a new record for the hottest year ever. The global temperature has increased by more than 1 degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial times. Can 2017 become the year of climate action? Author: Irene Banos Ruiz



jbh/rc (AP, AFP)