So far, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made a lot of the right moves when it comes to climate change, but a new report this week makes it clear that Canada's PM cannot lead on climate change and support the expansion of oilsands pipelines at the same time.

Yet, there was a rumor circling earlier this month that the Trudeau government would approve the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline in the name of the "national interest". If approved, the pipeline will increase the amount of oil produced and shipped to Vancouver's coast for export by a whopping 590,000 barrels a day — nearly triple what is currently transported.

At the same time, the Trudeau government is expected to roll out a plan this fall to fulfill its election promise to take "bold action" on climate change.  

These two positions are irreconcilable. 

A new report out this week titled "The Sky's Limit" concludes that if we want to avoid catastrophic atmospheric disruption, then a lot of the world's carbon reserves (i.e. Alberta's oilsands) must stay in the ground. 

According to the authors of the report, Oil Change International, if Trudeau wants to do his part on climate change, then science says "75 per cent of Canada’s tar sands would have to remain unburned." 

As it stands, Canada is fifth behind only Qatar, the United States, Russia and Iran when it comes to the highest emissions from proposed new oil and gas developments. 

If the projects that constitute this graph go ahead (which includes the Kinder Morgan pipeline), then it's game over for our earth's atmosphere. The worst of predicted climate change impacts will be realized. 

This graph also makes it clear that the Trudeau government's Kinder Morgan decision will have consequences that ripple well beyond Canada's borders. If approved, it sends a global green light to other countries to barrel ahead with their own expansion plans.

That's not leadership on climate change, no matter how "bold" your climate action plan might sound.

Trudeau was elected on a platform of a new kind of politics. On the global stage, our Prime Minister has enjoyed rock star status and is seen by many world leaders as a new hope. 

The problem is that Trudeau is trying to make everyone happy. In the long run, we know this will only lead to disappointment. 

If Trudeau wants to lead on climate, both at home and abroad, then he's going to have to make the right decision — the decision backed by the best science in the world — and not allow the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion to proceed. 

Go here to download Oil Change International's full report: The Sky’s Limit: Why the Paris Climate Goals Require a Managed Decline of Fossil Fuel Production

Image credit: Government of Canada

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While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau maintains relatively high popularity numbers here in Canada, they pale in comparison to the borderline rock star status the Canadian Prime Minister currently has on the international stage. Most recently, he was in New York to address the United Nations’ General Assembly and attend the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants.

It’s the first-ever summit of its kind because there hasn't been a refugee crisis like this in our lifetimes — or in the UN’s lifetime. You’ve heard the facts by now. Right now, more than 65 million people have been forced from their homes. That’s more than at any other time since the end of the Second World War. And there’s no end in sight.

In his speech at the summit on Monday, Trudeau took a bow for Canada’s efforts to take in refugees. Yet when the applause died down, he emphasized how that isn’t enough.

“I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that Canada’s engagement must not stop at resettlement,” the Prime Minister said. “Now is the time for each of us to consider what more we can contribute. So, in Canada, we’re looking at our options.”

So what are those options? How can we address the forces that are driving people from their homes in the first place?

Researchers have linked the current conflict in Syria to droughts that have been exacerbated by  climate change. And it’s not just Syria. Our changing climate is fuelling and amplifying the current humanitarian/security crises that prompted this UN summit. Many other regions are vulnerable to the same dynamics, which is why people are talking about “The Ominous Story of Syria's Climate Refugees.”

But here’s the thing: there’s no such thing as a climate refugee. Officially speaking, that is.

The official definition of refugees includes people who are displaced by persecution, war or violence. Someone who has to flee their home because of climate change impacts falls through the cracks.

The declaration from Monday’s refugee summit specifically mentions people who flee “in response to the adverse effects of climate change, natural disasters (some of which may be linked to climate change) or other environmental factors.” Yet they’re still not technically refugees.

That’s a sign of just how ill-prepared we are to deal with what’s coming. As our climate becomes increasingly unstable, the sad truth is there will be climate refugees. Lots of them. Our legal and political system doesn’t have an official grasp of that concept yet, much less an actual response to it.

I’m not the only person who thinks this way. Last week, a bipartisan group of ex-military leaders held the Climate and National Security Forum in Washington, D.C. These are soldiers who see a changing climate as “an important, fundamental national security matter.” They know that governments aren’t adequately prepared for that, and are still largely operating within a 20th-century framework of what causes (and resolves) global crises and conflicts.

So Prime Minister Trudeau is right to say that resettling refugees isn’t enough. More needs to be done. Canada should “look at our options,” as he puts it.

We may not be a major military power, but Canada does have other kinds of clout. If we want to help deal with the root causes of the current refugee crisis, and future ones, climate change is a wise area to focus.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.