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
The Moment of Truth
* The Moment Of Truth*
*By Fidel Castro*
18 December, 2009
The news from the Danish capital gives a picture of chaos. After planning a conference with about 40 thousand people in attendance, the hosts find it impossible to honor their promise. Evo, the first of the two presidents of ALBA-member countries to arrive, stated some truths derived from the millennium-old culture of his people.
Tories mulled weaker oil-gas emission targets: documents
Tories mulled weaker oil-gas emission targets: documents
last Updated: Monday, December 14, 2009
CBC News
The Conservative government has considered abandoning some of the greenhouse gas reduction goals set out in its 2007 green plan and allowing weaker targets for the oil and gas sector, documents obtained by CBC News suggest.
The proposal raises questions on how the Tories could cut overall greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 — a target they insist they can reach — while weakening the targets in the oil and gas sector.
Scientists Sound Biomass Alarm; Is Copenhagen Listening?
Scientists Sound Biomass Alarm; Is Copenhagen Listening?
Monday 14 December 2009
by: Joshua Frank, t r u t h o u t | News Analysis
Current climate legislation and the Kyoto Protocol are undermining the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Or so contends a cautionary article that appeared in October's peer-reviewed journal of Science.
Conservation (or forestry or Boreal) Offsets: The biggest scam yet.
Since more and more this is likely to become the main "strategy" that countries like Canada and Australia are to "commit to", people should know what this lie is.
It behooves us all to speak to the elephant and call him a big grey liar, and stop pretending he's not there.
--M
Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia)
December 14, 2009
Green pot of carbon gold lures politicians
GUY PEARSE AND GREGG BORSCHMANN
Lutselk'e shocked by chief's support of Ur-Energy exploration
Lutselk'e shocked by chief's support of Ur-Energy exploration
Last Updated: Thursday, September 3, 2009 |
CBC News
Some residents in Lutselk'e, N.W.T., were surprised Wednesday to hear their leadership is supporting a uranium company that's exploring for uranium in the Upper Thelon area.
Shaky economy hinders Long Lake tar sands project
Shaky economy hinders Long Lake oilsands project
By MARKUS ERMISCH, SUN MEDIA
10th December 2009
Nexen Inc. is delaying the expansion of its Long Lake oilsands project by one year to 2011, citing Canada's hesitant economic recovery and a lack of clarity about new environmental regulations as major reasons.
"Right across our industry, there is quite a measured approach to the pace of investment," Nexen CEO Marvin Romanow said in a conference call yesterday.
US should share tar sands burden: Paul Martin
US should share oilsands burden:Paul Martin
December 14, 2009
CP
TORONTO — Environment Minister Jim Prentice appears to be in agreement with former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin on who should pay for the environmental costs of Alberta's oilsands energy.
Martin has been quoted as saying the U.S. should shoulder some of Canada's carbon emissions burden because it's the chief user of energy from the oilsands.
Prentice, who is at the Copenhagen climate summit, says if Americans buy Canadian oil, the environmental costs should be absorbed on the U.S. side of the border.
Canada ranks low on climate change report card
Canada ranks low on climate change report card
By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald
December 14, 2009
COPENHAGEN — Canada ranks just ahead of Saudi Arabia when it comes to progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, says an annual climate change performance report looking at 57 high-emitting countries.
"Looking at the emissions level of the ranked countries, the United States, Canada and Russia place very poorly," says the report, to be officially released as global climate change talks resume in Copenhagen Monday.
Ontario, Quebec say they won’t shoulder tar sands burden
Ontario, Quebec say they won’t shoulder oilsands burden
By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald
December 13, 2009
COPENHAGEN — Delegations from Ontario and Quebec wasted no time before differentiating their position from the federal government’s after arriving Sunday at the climate change conference in Copenhagen — declaring they weren’t going to carry higher emission-reduction burdens for the sake of oilsands expansion in the Western provinces.
The Silence of the North: when the tailings ponds let go....
Ingmar Lee writes:
In the context of all the hot-air being emitted at Copenhagen, I offer this
piece:
I've just read a fantastic piece of historic Canadian literature, (The
Silence of the North) -a memoir by pioneer trappers-wife, Olive A.
Fredrickson, as told to author Ben East. She reminisces from her experiences
in the north of Alberta and BC in the 1920's when all was wild up there. Her
travels in the then wilderness took her all through the area around Fort
McMurray, now the epicentre of the Alberta Tar Sands planetary blight.
