Tar Sands protest comes to UK Climate Camp
Ecologist
18th August, 2009
Oil extraction from tar sands is causing large-scale environmental damage, say activists
The fight against the extraction of oil from the tar sands of Alberta in Canada will reach the UK later this month.
Representatives from First Nations, the group that speaks for Canada's aboriginal people, will join in the London Climate Camp protest from August 27th to 31st.
The Athabasca tar sands in Canada is the second largest known deposit of oil in the world, after the Middle East. Its growth has damaged the local land, air, water and forests as well as contributing to carbon emissions.
Activists say millions of barrels of oil a day are already being extracted in Alberta, creating lakes of toxic waste so huge that they are visible from space.
'Tar Sands is a global phenomenon. It is the largest industrial project in the world. It is also the dirtiest,' said Lionel Lepine, one of the visiting representatives.
'Tar Sands produce three times as much CO2 per barrel as conventional oil. There's enough under the ground to push us over the edge into runaway climate change. It should be everyone's concern,' he added.
Activists say that UK companies, including Shell and BP, are financially involved in the project.
Visiting representatives plan to run workshops explaining the devastating impact of tar sands on indigenous people, local wildlife and the environment.
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