Climate Change / Emissions

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.

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

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'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
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.

Tar Sands development edging closer in Trinidad and Tobago?
RBC appears at Trinidad government forum extolling their record in Canada's tar sands

by Macdonald Stainsby
April 19, 2011
Mediacoop.ca

In December of 2010, Rainforest Action Network [RAN], issued a press release that was full of praise for the Royal Bank of Canada adopting a new framework around investments in companies involved in tar sands production.

Canadians Fight Tar Sands, Israelis Fight Oil Shale
April 12th, 2011
Tafline Laylin
Rachel Jacobson shares the story behind protecting the beautiful view from “Big Oil.”

BLM reconsidering acreage for oil shale, tar sands

The Salt Lake Tribune
First published Apr 13 2011

The Bureau of Land Management will conduct a “fresh” study to determine how much public acreage to open to potential oil shale and tar sands development, the agency announced Wednesday.

In 2008, under the Bush administration, the agency amended eight area management plans in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming to open about 1.9 million acres for oil shale development and more than 430,000 acres for tar sands.

Protesters demand halt to bank’s tar sands financing
Herald Scotland
cHRIS WATT and SIMON BAIN

20 Apr 2011

PROTESTERS yesterday hijacked a meeting of the Royal Bank of Scotland to demand an end to state-backed funding for tar sands oil projects.

Representatives of Canada’s First Nations visited Edinburgh to tell the bank’s annual meeting that oil extraction could threaten their way of life and cause untold environmental damage in the event of a spill.

Estonia sees rock as future of global energy

By Anneli Reigas (AFP) – Mar 22, 2011

NARVA, Estonia — A huge excavator bites into the earth of an open-cast mine, as the operator skillfully mans the controls in a cabin four storeys from ground level.

For the small Baltic state of Estonia, rock is the future of energy.

The European Union nation of 1.3 million generates 97 percent of its electricity thanks to oil shale -- sediment formed 400-450 million years ago, containing hydrocarbons. Its industry forecasts that shale's use can only expand.