When those cannons fail, we see unfortunate accidents like the one this past summer in Alberta when some 500 ducks were killed after landing in a tailings pond. Toxic tailing ponds result in 8,000 to 100,000 oiled and drowned birds annually.
Authors of the report suggest that an immediate solution to the unsustainable pace of development and to environmental problems relating to tar sands oil development is a moratorium on all new projects, project expansions, and to clean up existing projects.
For Canada to take the kind of substantive action necessary to prevent the ecological damage suggested by this report, it may require international pressure; the kind of pressure that could be applied by a renegotiated NAFTA that strengthens environmental laws, something that president-elect Obama has suggested he would like to see.
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Images courtesy of: 1. & 3. David Dodge/Pembina Institute; 2. & 4. D. Faucher/Ducks Unlimited; 5. Sun Media Corp.; 6. Jeff Nadler
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About Timothy B. Hurst
I was born and raised in Alberta, and I am ashamed by the inattention of the Alberta government regarding many environmental issues surrounding the tar sands. We make billions of dollars a year from the tar sands, and yet we can't afford to implement measures to ensure things like this don't happen. Very sad indeed.
Wow, thats so sad. Poor animals and all for the sake of oil.
jess
http://www.anonymity.at.tc
Hello, 160 milliion birds and perhaps a large portion of 6 billion human beings. Why isn't the production and combusiton of oil from this or any other source recognized as criminal behavior given that there are viable alternatives? Carl Joudrie
This is propaganda. They have made up a story, then decided on the "facts" Firstly, there are no "tar sands" in Northern Alberta. There are oil sands. These are vast regions in vacant cold boreal forest. $150 oil with prospects of $300 oil prompted large scale projects and planning at an unprecedented rate. IF ALL of those went forward, AND the rate of change continued unabaited for 50 years several thousand square kilometers would be mining. But that is IF oil went to $300/b and conitnued to climb. That is If an unprecidented change in growth in development continued for 50 years! If you applied this logic to leaving a stop sign, you would break the speed of light in a few minutes!
There are good reasons to be cautious and prudent in development. Hyperbole and gross exagerations do not help anything. If you are concerned about birds, then wind turbines are your target as they kill thousands of times more birds the oil sands.
Bury the tar sands – let the birds live!
Use the sun for energy – oil is bad news. If that is not possible – walk!
Enough of befouling the planet and the creatures that roam on it.
Go green.
“including future generations” whata’ crock, over a long enough time line my fried egg sandwich deprived the world of one billion chickens.
By the same logic used here, wind mills will kill a hundred million birds (including future generations) over the next 100 years.
Who cares?
Just less bird sh*t I have to clean off my car.
Wow, thats so sad. Poor animals and all for the sake of oil..
My friend, a consultant working in the area, had this to say:
The bird issue is just the tip of the iceberg! The bigger issue is that the tailings ponds are all leaking. Yes, they are ALL leaking and the government and oil companies know it. Estimates range from 100,000 to millions of litres A DAY into the the Athabasca River and its tributaries.
Stop! Shake Head! Pinch oneself! How are we letting this happen!!!
Its unbelievable how hypocritical our environmental departments are. Somebody needs to sue the Alberta and Federal governmnts for not living up to their mandate and protecting the environment and the public. This is a disgrace both provincially, nationally, and globally.
Wow, thats so sad. Poor animals and all for the sake of oil…
it is a shame that the government of alberta is taking these isssue silly,which should be hihly concerned i think they are interest about the short term economic gainsc rather than huge environmenatal issues
Viable alternatives ? Like ???
Corn to Ethanol ? any idea how many hundreds of MILLIONS of acres would be required ?
Biofuels ? Again how many hundreds of millions of acres aka bird habitat …
spend some money to help the birds … use the oil, save the humans …
to hell with you luddites …
Mad Max is starting to look more and more likely.
pintomp3, Whatever lets you sleep at night.
You must be kidding , projecting far ahead in the future is nonsense.
Many things chage in 30 years.
hi,to stay in power POLITICIANS can kill anyone these are just a bunch of birds.
We as human being can do whatever we want on this planet. But whatever we do (harm or good) will come back to us. That will be part of our lessons. We are after all responsible for this planet. It is that simple. for example, if we pollute the air, then the air we breath will kill us.
I just hope we are NOT going to become the “Death Star” in Star Wars…a big massive ugly concrete planet void of life.