From Our Newsletter : Will Canada Kill Climate Change Action in Copenhagen?

Just one eco-alert this issue, but it’s a big one.

We all like to think of BC as "Green" and "Eco-conscious"?

But in order to live up to our slogans, Canadians must address the oil sands and their negative impact on the ecosystem. And we need to hold our leaders to task when they try to sabotage effective climate change reforms.

As reported in Alternet by George Monbiot, Canadian briefing documents obtained in June this year show that the Canadian government has been scheming to divide the Europeans and attempt to scuttle any meaningful international climate change treaty. To quote from the article: "During the meeting in Bangkok in October, almost the entire developing world bloc walked out when the Canadian delegate was speaking, as they were so revolted by his bullying. Last week the Commonwealth heads of government battled for hours (and eventually won) against Canada’s obstructions. A concerted campaign has now begun to expel Canada from the Commonwealth."

In Copenhagen this week and next, it has been predicted that Canada will do everything in its power to wreck the talks. All this to protect an energy technology that would be a top contender if "The Planet’s Most Polluting: were a reality show.

It's just sand, right?

"Oil Sands". It sounds so nice and benign, conjuring up an image of pristine white sands alive with magical energy waiting to be tapped.

But the reality is somewhat different. The tar sands are actually a toxic mixture of bitumen, sand, heavy metals and poisonous organic chemicals. Most of the Tar Sands occur in Alberta, and they are now being extracted by the biggest opencast mining operation on earth. An area the size of England, with pristine BC forests, marshes and aquifers is slated to be strip mined and destroyed.

This is why environmental activists worldwide are calling for a transition from polluting energy sources such as the oil sands, to clean energy including wind and solar power. Do a bit of research and it’s easy to see that the strip-miners are creating a vast black wasteland that threatens vital watersheds while emitting huge amounts of CO2.

To extract oil from the tar sands, it must be heated and washed. It takes three barrels of water to process one barrel of oil. The result is contaminated water that is held in vast "tailing ponds". They are completely toxic, and most are unlined. So organic poisons, arsenic and mercury leak into BC rivers, contaminating valuable water supplies. These are believed to be linked to exotic cancers and autoimmune diseases that now afflict the First Nations people living downstream.

Refining tar sands oil requires two to three times as much energy as crude oil. In fact, our tar sands operation is now the world’s biggest single industrial source of carbon emissions.

To read the rest of Monbiot’s article, click here.