'Anti-human agenda': B.C. Conservative leader suggests climate action motivated by overpopulation concerns

The leader of the B.C. Conservative party is once again under fire for comments related to climate change – this time for suggesting there is an "anti-human agenda" behind the push to confront warming global temperatures.

John Rustad made the remarks while appearing on Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson's YouTube show last year, during an episode called "The Real Price of Progress."

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When discussing efforts to reduce agriculture-based emissions, Rustad said: "They somehow think if they stop cows from farting, it's going to change the weather. It's ridiculous."

He went on to discuss attempts to decrease reliance on nitrogen-based fertilizer, warning that doing so could cause food scarcity that would plunge "hundreds of millions of people, even into the billions of people" into starvation.

"I, in good conscience, can't stand up and support those kinds of policies," he said. "I can only put it to the fact that somehow they think we need to reduce the human population – it's sort of an anti-human agenda."

The United Nations has warned that nitrogen in a reactive form – created from the "use synthetic fertilizers, the discharge of wastewater or the combustion of fossil fuels," per the organization's website – can pose a threat of exacerbating climate change and depleting the ozone layer.

A 2018 report from the U.N's Environment Program called reactive nitrogen "one of the most important pollution issues facing humanity."

At an unrelated campaign stop in Castlegar on Tuesday, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby accused Rustad of believing "crazy internet conspiracy theories," including that "COVID vaccines are Bonnie Henry's plan to control the population" and "climate science is people trying to force children to eat bugs." 

"He only talks about these things when he's in a trusted environment with his pals like Jordan Peterson," Eby said, referencing Rustad's recent podcast appearance with the controversial speaker.

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau had similar criticism for her Conservative opponent, calling Rustad's remarks on climate change both "dangerous" and "the fantastic ramblings of a man who refuses to deal in reality."

"How can he be trusted to solve B.C.’s very serious problems if he can’t acknowledge basic scientific facts?" Furstenau said in a statement.

Asked about recent attacks from the NDP, which has highlighted multiple eyebrow-raising clips of Rustad's climate remarks since the campaign began earlier this month, Rustad suggested it was Eby who held extreme views that are detrimental to province.

"We have a crisis in affordability, our health-care system is collapsing – there is nothing in this province that is better off under David Eby," Rustad said.

"His radical ideology has created nothing but grief and problems in this province and so he's going to do everything he possibly can to distract from that because he doesn’t want to talk about his record."

The only televised leaders debate ahead of the B.C. election is happening from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 8, 2024. You can watch live on CTV News or stream it on this website.