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
Run-of-the-river projects threaten efforts to become green
Run-of-the-river projects threaten efforts to become green
By Melissa Davis, Vancouver Sun
January 29, 2010
It's not easy being green, as the saying goes, and nowhere more so than here
in British Columbia.
After all, our province has an established reputation as an incubator for
social and political change: B.C. is the birthplace of Greenpeace, the front
line in the "war in the woods" and the arena where environmentalists, first
nations, government and business came together to create the "Great Bear
Rainforest."
Alberta tar sands project will increase production
February 25, 2010
Alberta tar sands project will increase production
Calgary, Alberta – The Canadian Oil Sands Trust has announced it will increase synthetic crude oil production capacity at its Syncrude project near Fort McMurray, Alberta.
A Push to Save Greenpeace
- Alberta (& Saskatchewan) Tar Sands
- Enbridge Gateway Pipeline/ Offshore Tanker Traffic [BC]
- Mackenzie Gas Project / Alaska Highway pipelines [NWT/AK]
- Tarsands Infrastructure: South/ East [US & Can]
- International oil & gas
- Animals
- Climate Change / Emissions
- Corruption
- Economics
- Energy
- Forests
- Indigenous
- Labour / Migration
- Social Impacts
- Water
March 5, 2010
A Push to Save Greenpeace
Employees, activists struggle against Tzeporah Berman's appointment
by Dawn Paley
Activists launched a new website today, claiming Greenpeace International's appointment of Tzeporah Berman as co-director of its climate change campaign will push Greenpeace "beyond the point of no return." The appointment would make her a leader of the organization's global climate strategy.
Tar sands snubbed by 'green' retailers
Tar sands snubbed by 'green' retailers
Eco-campaign against Alberta's oil heats up with companies' boycott
Published On Thu Feb 11 2010
By Mitch Potter Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON–Two trendy North American retail chains have washed their hands of Alberta's high-carbon oil sands, as environmentalists intensify a campaign to demonize the Canadian fuel.
A Public Relations War on all Fronts
March 7, 2010
A Public Relations War on all Fronts
BC government aims to win hearts and minds in battle to open the province up to more mining, oil and gas
by Dawn Paley →Original Peoples, →Free Trade & Gateway Projects
Beyond rhetoric about improving competitiveness and establishing the province as a centre for innovation, among the most concrete strategies suggested in the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources 2010/11-2012/13 Service Plan are government sponsored marketing campaigns to promote the benefits of the extractive industries.
Is There Such a Thing as Safe Sex when Sleeping With the Enemy? | GE & tcktcktck
- Alberta (& Saskatchewan) Tar Sands
- Enbridge Gateway Pipeline/ Offshore Tanker Traffic [BC]
- Mackenzie Gas Project / Alaska Highway pipelines [NWT/AK]
- Tarsands Infrastructure: South/ East [US & Can]
- International oil & gas
- Animals
- Climate Change / Emissions
- Corruption
- Economics
- Energy
- Forests
- Indigenous
- Peak Oil
- Social Impacts
- Water
Is There Such a Thing as Safe Sex when Sleeping With the Enemy?
This is a follow-up piece to ‘Sleeping with the Enemy; EYES WIDE SHUT | TckTckTck exposé’, and ACTION ALERT! Is Greenpeace International set to become GE – Greenpeace Electric?
This is not a good year for Greenpeace.
Environmental leader attacks Greenpeace climate appointment
- Alberta (& Saskatchewan) Tar Sands
- Enbridge Gateway Pipeline/ Offshore Tanker Traffic [BC]
- Mackenzie Gas Project / Alaska Highway pipelines [NWT/AK]
- Tarsands Infrastructure: South/ East [US & Can]
- International oil & gas
- 2010 Olympics
- Climate Change / Emissions
- Corruption
- Economics
- Energy
- Forests
- Indigenous
- Peak Oil
- Social Impacts
- Water
Environmental leader attacks Greenpeace climate appointment
By Andrew MacLeod
February 26, 2010 // The Tyee
http://bit.ly/a4bTKv
A prominent British Columbia environmentalist has written a letter to Greenpeace International criticizing the recent appointment of Tzeporah Berman to a position heading the organization's climate and energy campaign.
Greenpeace International hires torchbearer Tzeporah Berman as chief climate campaigner
Greenpeace Greenwash
Greenpeace International hires torchbearer Tzeporah Berman as chief
climate campaigner
by Macdonald Stainsby →2010 Olympics
As the world turned their attention to the spectacle of the 2010
Olympics, Greenpeace International played another kind of game,
appointing Tzeporah Berman as their new energy and climate campaign
director. As a result, she may gain undue influence over the “Stop the
Tar Sands” campaign in Canada and take responsibility for 110 Greenpeace
climate campaigners in 28 countries. In the last few years Berman has been
Husky, BP help fuel tar sands resurgence
Husky, BP help fuel oil sands resurgence
Partners cite sharply lower costs in decision to push ahead with
$2.5-billion Sunrise project
David Ebner
Globe and Mail
Jan. 20, 2010
The energy industry slapped down its second multibillion-dollar bet this week on the oil sands, a strong endorsement for a key sector of the Canadian economy in which development almost stopped during the recession.
Conoco's Surmont Tar Sands expansion to quadruple production (with help from TOTAL).
Conoco's Surmont oilsands expansion to quadruple production
By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald
January 20, 2010
CALGARY — In another sign that Alberta's oilsands sector is on the mend, the Canadian subsidiaries of multinational oil giants ConocoPhillips and Total said Tuesday they plan to quadruple oilsands production by 2015, generating billions of new investment and creating thousands of jobs in the stagnant oilsands sector.
