Not only do tar sands cause environmental damage (which we will get to later). A new paper just published from U of T shows that they are also causing life threatening pollutants that not only are we breathing in but so are the animals we eat, the plants we eat and the water we drink. Follow the link to the short article and then please watch this amazing video from Neil Young.
Think of these questions.
1) where is all this oil going?
2) Who will be responsible for the clean-up?
3) Who's land is this truly that we are digging up?
4) How could you use less oil?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/oilsands-air-pollutants-underestimated-researchers-find-1.2521134
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7hTATM4i_8
Fantastic video. Really shows how horrible the Tar Sands are. Really saddening to see how much natural environment has been destroyed.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article and seeing the images from the video, it really put into perspective just how awful the tar sands are. There were so many dirty ponds and factories billowing smoke into the skies and polluting the air.
ReplyDeleteI really liked these lyrics from the song
“Oh, Mother Earth, with your fields of green, once more laid down by the hungry hand. How long can you give and not receive, and feed this world ruled by greed?"
I agree! It's very sobering to see such horrific things that are happening every day. People don't seem to realise that we are depleting the planet and ultimately destryong our home.
DeleteThis video totally clashes with what the media is showing us. Just today I was watching the Olympic games and a commercial for the oil sands came on and it was praising how clean and efficient the energy is and how "Canada uses the cleanest energy". This is total false advertising. After seeing the reality of the job sites of the tar sands in this video, the tragedies being done to the ecosystems of those areas and, more importantly, the lively hood of humankind is just sickening. It just goes to show you how the media can paint a completely distorted picture of reality over anything they want.
DeleteI agree Adrian! As much as Canadians advertise that we're going along with this "green movement", I know that our carbon footprint is just increasingly getting worse, videos like these showcase this. At the same time, we encourage people to work in the tar sands. I met two brothers last summer who would work in the tar sands for two weeks at a time and take weeks off in between. They made a ton of money. To me, that just seems like were buying or citizens to do do work that is both bad for the environment and bad for their health. Money can convince people to do pretty much anything and this showcases this. Personally, I think our planet is worth more than any amount of money. We have to stop allowing ourselves to hide the problem and realize that it needs a solution before it is too late.
DeleteReading Adrian's post I couldn't help but remember reading about how scientists were being muzzled, and not allowed to disclose their findings. Not for any scientific reasons but for the simple reason they were not good for society. Here's the article if you are interested,
Deletehttp://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/muzzling-of-federal-scientists-widespread-survey-suggests-1.2128859
It does make me a bit concerned about the flow of information we are receiving.
This is my post. I am 100% opposed to the development of the Alberta oil sands! They are they dirtiest form of oil we can possibly produce. Throughout the extraction and production of this oil come a large variety of environmental impacts including; air, water, and land pollution. The air pollution comes from the burning of natural gas which is used to heat the bitumen in order to extract the oil, it also comes from evaporation of toxic chemical from the tailings ponds. Water pollution is caused from the leaking of the tailings ponds into the Athabaska river which is approximately 1 to 160, so for every litre of toxic waste produced, one will seep into the natural aquifers. Land pollution comes from acid rain due to the toxins that are emitted from the smoke stacks. also there is the issue of deforestation causing habitat to many species, putting them at risk of endangerment and extinction. Over all I believe the oil sands projects are one of the worst possible things to do to the environment. I also think that it degrades Canada as a country, in regards to how our government allowed the land to be treated. Some of the things we can do to help could be; carpool, walk/bike, refuse plastic products, eat locally, plan a future that requires minimal transportation.
ReplyDeleteI need a source so that it is not just opinion.
DeleteGreat post. More to come in the semester about this devastation.
ReplyDelete