Tar Sands 101
The Tar Sands "Gigaproject" is the largest industrial project in human history and likely also the most destructive. The tar sands mining procedure releases at least three times the CO2 emissions as regular oil production and is slated to become the single largest industrial contributor in North America to Climate Change.
The tar sands are already slated to be the cause of up to the second fastest rate of deforestation on the planet behind the Amazon Rainforest Basin. Currently approved projects will see 3 million barrels of tar sands mock crude produced daily by 2018; for each barrel of oil up to as high as five barrels of water are used.
Human health in many communities has seriously taken a turn for the worse with many causes alleged to be from tar sands production. Tar sands production has led to many serious social issues throughout Alberta, from housing crises to the vast expansion of temporary foreign worker programs that racialize and exploit so-called non-citizens. Infrastructure from pipelines to refineries to super tanker oil traffic on the seas crosses the continent in all directions to allthree major oceans and the Gulf of Mexico.
The mock oil produced primarily is consumed in the United States and helps to subsidize continued wars of aggression against other oil producing nations such as Iraq, Venezuela and Iran.
To understand the tar sands in more depth, continue to our Tar Sands 101 reading list
CNRL threatens to "Leave"(Wanna help them pack?)
I must comment on this-- This corporation is the one that is trying to re-shape human rights, migrant and labour rights law and is leading the way in getting the flood gates opened for massive amounts of "temporary foreign worker" programs. They have been operating in their "Horizon Oilsands Project" with 500 no-rights, no papers labourers. These workers are the ultimate in cost saving, and CNRL, apparently while making people "learn while they go on the job", have killed 2 in accidents and wounded four others, all from China. If this doesn't save them enough money, then nothing will.
"Climate will alter travel patterns"
Climate will alter travel patterns: UN
Published: Saturday, October 06, 2007
DAVOS, Switzerland -- Global warming will produce stay-at-home tourists over the next few decades, radically altering travel patterns and threatening jobs and businesses in tourism-dependent countries, according to a stark assessment by UN experts.
The UN Environment Program, the World Meteorological Organization and the World Tourism Organization said concerns about weather extremes and calls to reduce emissions-heavy air travel would make long-haul flights less attractive.
Greenhouse gas emissions hit danger mark
Greenhouse gas emissions hit danger mark
Tue Oct 9, 2007 9:05am EDT
By Michael Perry
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The global economic boom has accelerated greenhouse gas emissions to a dangerous threshold not expected for a decade and could potentially cause irreversible climate change, said one of Australia's leading scientists.
Tim Flannery, a world recognized climate change scientist and Australian of the Year in 2007, said a U.N. international climate change report due in November will show that greenhouse gases have already reached a dangerous level.
Nuclear Watchdog Buddies up with Nuke Industry
ENERGY REGULATOR
Nuclear watchdog too close to industry, report suggests
SUE BAILEY AND JIM BRONSKILL
The Canadian Press
October 9, 2007
OTTAWA -- Canada's nuclear safety watchdog appears to be too cozy with the industry it's supposed to monitor, suggests an independent report.
The study ordered by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission cites long-standing complaints that the regulator focuses far more on the companies it licenses than on concerned lobby groups or citizens.
Don't sacrifice the Sacred Headwaters
The Globe and Mail
WONDER OF GEOGRAPHY
Don't sacrifice the Sacred Headwaters
WADE DAVIS
Explorer-in-residence, National Geographic Society
October 8, 2007
In a rugged knot of mountains, in the remote reaches of northern British Columbia, lies a stunningly beautiful valley known to the first nations as the Sacred Headwaters. There, on the southern edge of the Spatsizi Wilderness - the Serengeti of Canada - are born in remarkably close proximity three of Canada's most important salmon rivers: the Stikine, Skeena and Nass.
Fargo mayor: Don't allow Canadian [Keystone] oil pipeline
Fargo mayor: Don't allow Canadian oil pipeline
Oct 07, 2007
By DALE WETZEL
Associated Press Writer
Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker says the huge new Keystone oil pipeline is a potential threat to his city's water supply, and he's asking the state Public Service Commission to deny a permit for the project.
Walaker suggested Friday that the pipeline's route should be forced outside North Dakota until Canadian officials halt what he considers to be unreasonable opposition to a project that would bring Missouri River water to Fargo.
Forget Your Silver Bullet
Forget Your Silver Bullet
Bill Moore, EV World
US Task Force finds unconventional fuels from tar sands to shale oil will make little contribution to future energy needs.
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The United States' Task Force on Strategic Unconventional Fuels (www.unconventionalfuels.org) has made public its findings and recommendations on the futARTHUR MAX, AssocARTHUR MAX, Associated Pressated Pressbe played by five non-petroleum energy sources found in America: shale oil, heavy crude, tar sands, coal-to-liquids and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using captured carbon dioxide.
Inuit Concerns Over Global Warming
Inuit across Canada's Arctic are worried about global warming
Friday, September 28, 2007 07:17AM
CBC Labrador
CINDY WALL: Inuit across Canada's Arctic are worried about global warming but the effort to help solve the problem is giving them something else to worry about. Efforts to find alternative cleaner energy sources have driven up the price of uranium, the fuel used in nuclear reactors. Developers want to build new uranium mines on Inuit land in Labrador. As Reporter Paul Pigott reports, some people in Labrador wonder if they won't be trading off one problem for another.
Corporate America's Latest CounterAttack: The Green Masquerade
Corporate America's Latest CounterAttack:
The Green Masquerade
By ALAN MAASS and JEFFREY ST. CLAIR
Alan Maass: The latest trend for corporations is to show off green
credentials--BP has a series of commercials with a guy standing in a
field talking about alternative fuels, and Rupert Murdoch is vowing to
make his international operations carbon neutral. What kind of impact do
corporate green solutions have on curbing global warming?
Jeffrey St. Clair: NONE. That's the short answer. Must we really elaborate?
Why the Woodland Cree are Suing to block Tar Sands Development
This article below is an investor celebration of what they believe their client corporations can get out of the earth in the areas near Cadotte Lake, the community where many of the Woodland Cree live. This area is a 10-15 minute drive from Little Buffalo (and was once considered part of the Lubicon Cree Nations territory). The Peace Region has next to no development in comparison with either Cold Lake or the Athabasca Region, but the Peace River will have to give up almost all the water required for these plans...
