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
Climate Change: It's bad and getting worse
Climate Change: It's bad and getting worse
Severe weather events are wracking the planet, and experts warn of even greater consequences to come.
Dahr Jamail
Al Jazeera, June 23, 2011
The rate of ice loss in two of Greenland's largest glaciers has increased so much in the last 10 years that the amount of melted water would be enough to completely fill Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes in North America.
Enviros, celebs plan W.H. protest
Enviros, celebs plan W.H. protest
POLITICO [reprinted in the Seattle PI]
Published 03:41 a.m., Thursday, June 23, 2011
A group of environmentalists and liberal celebrities are organizing civil disobedience protests at the White House against a proposed oil pipeline - with the emphasis on "civil."
In an open letter, actor Danny Glover, activists Bill McKibben, James Hansen, David Suzuki and others ask for volunteers willing to risk arrest at the White House from mid-August to Labor Day.
But they don't want downtown Washington to look like Vancouver after the Stanley Cup Finals.
Tar sands activity, not wolves, threatens Canadian caribou
Oil sands activity, not wolves, threatens Canadian caribou
June 22, 2011
OilSandsLoader
Four years of research has found that exploration and mining of Canada's oil sands appear to pose a much greater threat to the remaining herds of Alberta's caribou than does being eaten by packs of wolves.
The findings, by a team of Canadian and U.S. researchers, caution Alberta authorities against pouncing on a proposed quick fix: killing off wolves to save the caribou from extinction.
Neighbors wary of tar sands refinery in Detroit
Neighbors wary of tar sands refinery in Detroit
By Eartha Jane Melzer | 06.23.11
The Marathon refinery in southwest Detroit is expanding in order to process more Canadian tar sands crude oil, a move it admits will increase pollution in a neighborhood already burdened by industrial contamination.
The Detroit Free Press reports that many want to leave the neighborhood and that Marathon has bought up some of the homes around its 81 year-old factory for use as parking lots or green space.
Shell – Chevron – Marathon, Game Over
Shell – Chevron – Marathon, Game Over
After Gutenberg Blog: June 23, 2011
While this blog disagreed with Hansen’s position on nuclear power for base-load electric power, this blog agreed with the position this leading climate scientist takes on tar sands. Treehugger began their interview on Climate Change and Intergenerational Justice by noting Hansen’s concern: “the phase out of emissions from coal is, itself, an enormous challenge. However, if the tar sands are thrown into the mix, it’s essentially game over.” And, James Hansen elaborated upon his aversion to such development.
Feds fund Shell’s CO2 project (Money for lies about CCS? No problem!)
June 27, 2011
Feds fund Shells CO2 project general newsCalgary, Alberta – Shell has secured $865 million in funding from the federal and Alberta governments for a project to store CO2 from its tar sands operations.
The Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project is intended to capture more than one million tonnes of CO2 per year from Shell’s Scotford Upgrader near Edmonton, which processes heavy oil from the Athabasca oil sands, and permanently store it deep underground. Quest would be the first application of CCS technology for an oil sands upgrading operation, the company said.
The threat to Madagascar from tar sands; a first hand account
The threat to Madagascar from tar sands; a first hand account
23 May, 2011 - 15:19
Environmental campaigner Holly Rakotondralambo from Madagascar is visiting the UK this week to highlight the threat to her country from proposals to mine tar sands there. Here she tells WDM about the concerns of the local communities around the mining areas that she has visited and what we can do to help stop the threat of tar sands mining in her country.
Holly Rakotondralambo talks to Liz Murray of WDM in Scotland
First Nation Tour brings truth to France on Tar Sands Development
First Nation Tour brings truth to France on Tar Sands Development
"First Nation's delegation spoke to EU parliamentary members, French government and French investors to address tar sands impacts on First Nation communities directly counteracting the Canadian Foreign Department's platform on Tar Sands Development."
CNRL project to "cut emissions"
CNRL project to cut emissions
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE
CALGARY— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, May. 17, 2011 7:12PM EDT
Canada’s oil sands companies are dramatically expanding an effort to link arms on efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the oil sands.
Alberta fires prompt Shell to pull workers from oilsands mine site
Alberta fires prompt Shell to pull workers from oilsands mine site
By Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press –May 19, 2011
CALGARY — Shell Canada Ltd. said Thursday it was pulling non-essential workers from its vast oilsands mining operations north of Fort McMurray, Alta., as wildfire smoke drifted toward the site.
The winds had previously moved smoke north from the site, but overnight they changed direction and brought heavier smoke into the area.
