Ethical Reflections on the Northern Gateway Pipeline
In its Fall 2011 meeting, the KAIROS Ecumenical Circle of Collaboration on Sustainability identified the Northern Gateway pipeline as a topic of concern for the work on tar sands, energy, and climate change. Given its proposed route, the pipeline is also of concern for KAIROS’ commitments to Indigenous Rights . In the absence of a distinct policy on the pipeline, the KAIROS Board indicated that it would appreciate the development of an “ethical framework” for this and other issues that are central to our work but not explicitly covered in existing policy.
This document applies an ethical framework to the question of the Northern Gateway pipeline. It is meant not as a statement but as a discernment tool to assist members who are considering this issue. It should not be understood to represent the position of any particular member at this time. It is anticipated that the document may result in any of a number of actions including (but not limited to) public statements, educational programs, advocacy positions, and participation in campaigns.
We welcome feedback on the framework of questions that guided the content for this document (see adjacent column) and on the content itself. Feedback can be sent to Ed Bianchi at ebianchi@kairoscanada.org.
