Before I started at Solutions for Our Climate, I worked at a securities firm writing for investors. Regardless of whether it was ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, a big part of the job was to clearly articulate and present the stakeholders’ logic so that people could make informed investments. In short, “emphasize the positives.”

There was this post, for example.

“The shipbuilding industry has entered a ‘super cycle’. The increased demand for LNG is especially good news for the shipbuilders that make them.

LNG ship construction requires significant technical skills, making these ships more expensive and able to be sold at a much higher profit margin than other vessel types.”

I was reminded of this post from long ago by Namox and Jesse, two people very far removed from the hype and interests of LNG shipping but more deeply impacted by it than anyone else.

Namox and Jesse of the Wet'suwet'en First Nations of British Columbia, Canada, in a visit to the SFOC office on February 14, 2025.

Namox and Jesse are part of the Wet’suwet’en, a First Nations people who have long called British Columbia, Canada home.

Stakeholders’ interests in LNG ships are clear. They bring LNG into Korea and export it to other parts of the world. But before LNG can be loaded onto a ship, the gas has to be extracted from the ground and transported via a lengthy pipeline to a liquefaction plant on the coast, where it becomes LNG. In the Canadian province of British Columbia, one such pipeline exists, totaling around 700 kilometers.

The problem is that a significant portion of the pipeline runs through Wet’suwet’en territory. The pipeline’s construction naturally involved lots of heavy machinery, and large areas of forest and wetlands were cleared, cutting off migration routes for large mammals like caribou and moose and forcing other wildlife out of existing habitats. The pipeline passes directly under rivers, contaminating the water and affecting the ability of fish such as salmon to thrive.

The destruction of their hunting grounds, drinking water and food sources became a question of survival, one that shook the Wet’suwet’en people. The Wet’suwet’en have been opposing the pipeline for more than a decade, and Namox and Jesse have been leading the charge, building barriers to block traffic entering their territory. Police have responded with everything from jetboats to helicopters, using thermal infrared cameras to monitor the Wet’suwet’en and arresting over 100 protestors and activists. It was also revealed that police pre-briefings encouraged officers to “sterilize the area” and “use as much violence…as you want” to dismantle roadblocks, as well as to hide guns when approaching Wet’suwet’en protestors.

The Wet’suwet’en, however, have never signed any treaty ceding their land to the Canadian government, and the Canadian Supreme Court recognizes the rights of First Nations peoples to retain their territory. Yet the government and companies have wrongfully seized 22,000 sq. kilometers of land for the pipeline. The companies leading the construction have signed contracts only with those who agree with the project, rejecting consultation requests from local chiefs who oppose it. The government’s stance is that it is “just following procedures.”

The people with the most money and influence are encroaching on land that is not their own, using all means at their disposal to divide and exhaust those who resist, and no one is doing anything to stop them. This has been the story of the Wet’suwet’en for quite some time.

South Korea and the LNG Industry

Namox and Jesse refuse to back down, and in February of this year, they brought their fight to South Korea. Why? Because their fight has a whole lot to do with South Korea’s interests.

To begin with, as I mentioned earlier, the gas transported by the pipeline passing through Wet’suwet’en territory will be processed into LNG and exported to Asian markets, including South Korea.  The floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facilities and LNG ships used to move this gas are being built by Samsung Heavy and Hyundai Heavy Industries.

Moreover, the state-owned Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) has significant stakes in the construction of a LNG plant for export. KOGAS currently has an equity investment* in this project and is actively considering further investment in a plan to double production capacity. This means the pipeline will likely need to be expanded to accommodate this increased demand.

*LNG Canada has constructed an LNG-for-export production plant in Kitimat on Canada’s Pacific coast, with a production capacity of 14 million tons per year. KOGAS Canada LNG Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), which holds a 5% stake in LNG Canada.

A Trip to Seoul

Namox and Jesse’s journey saw them embark on a four-day, five-night trip to Seoul from February 11th to 15th, where they met with KOGAS, the Korea National Human Rights Commission and shared their story in a public session at the SFOC office. They travelled across the unfamiliar streets of Seoul, delighted by the sight of a bird resembling one they hunted back home in British Columbia.

Namox, a member of the Wet'suwet'en.

The story of the Wet’suwet’en people was documented in a Netflix film titled “YINTAH”, which translates to “land” in the Wet’suwet’en language. How often do we say the word "land” in our daily lives? In a world full of complex terminology, the word “land” seems rather simple and innocent.

In the face of the enormous task of “protecting the planet”, however, I believe this seemingly simple question is one we need to be asking.

“What is the land?”

“How should we treat the land?”

“Who does the land belong to?”

The Wet’suwet’en answer these questions.

Jesse: The land is “ours”, which is why the Wet’suwet’en teach sharing before possession. Even when we teach a child to hunt, we tell them to hunt for something that can be shared with others first, rather than for themselves.

Namox: If you follow the river in my hometown, my grandparents lived upstream; I live in the middle, and my nieces and nephews and grandchildren live downstream. All of my stories flow down the river. When I take a sip of water, I feel like everything is connected, and I keep thinking about what stories I’m passing on. If ‘freedom’ is what allows you to be yourself, then freedom is home.

A scene from "YINTAH", a Netflix film depicting the struggles of the Wet'suwet'en people of British Columbia. Image courtesy of Amber Bracken.

“Good News” Unmasked

On one hand, the expected boom for the LNG industry has been dubbed “good news.” On the other, we have the story of Namox and Jesse’s hometown, located directly in the path of the LNG trade. As I reflected on these two very different perspectives, I realized that taking action for the climate and the environment requires a step back from our ‘zone of interest’ and sphere of influence. Moving away from fossil fuels and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions is, of course, in our interests – especially in terms of our economies, security and livelihoods!

However, to answer the question “why should I care about the climate environment?”, it is necessary to look at the world through a perspective broader than our own. I hope that the earth will still be a beautiful place even after I’m gone, and at the same time, I realize that for some people, the climate crisis is a matter of life or death.

If we keep this in mind, our daily lives might start to look different....which is a good thing…right?

The land of the Wet’suwet’en First Nations people has been irrevocably destroyed in the pursuit of the interests of numerous people and organizations. The truth is, the idea of an LNG boost being “good news” is largely a myth, one you can read more about here in the official SFOC report.