Green Oil Blog

Guest blog by Robert MacGarvey Copenhagen, and the Age of Unreason

According to the press Alberta’s Environment Minister is going to get on his horse, ride into town and show them foreigners (in Copenhagen) a ‘thing or two’. “I’m going to Copenhagen as a proud Albertan…Alberta can hold its head high as a responsible major global energy producer already acting to make real greenhouse-gas reductions.” The Environment Minister is going to the Climate Change Summit armed – no doubt – with the latest policy initiatives of the Alberta Government, the latest scientific evidence and a cupboard full of rational arguments in support of the oil sands development being no more damaging to the planet than other less high profile developments. He is assuming that these rational arguments will win the day and save the oil sands as an economic development resource in Alberta.

Oil and terror mix all too well

How chilling that 19 (thankfully!) non-violent Greenpeace protesters scaled Canada’s Parliament with impunity to hang banners supporting their evangelical crusade against the oil sands.

Only weeks ago in a Toronto courtroom, Canadian justice dispensed with the cases of 18 Canadians charged with plotting to invade Parliament with intent to behead the prime minister and blow up the ultimate symbol of our democracy.

When arrests were first made in that plot, many of us thought these the absurd fantasy of deluded jihadists – who in their right mind could imagine that 18 armed miscreants could cavalierly saunter on to Parliament Hill and seize the buildings?

Copenhagen summit is your call to action

In a week's time, the world gathers in Copenhagen, Denmark, to pursue a binding global agreement on limiting carbon emissions.

Already, it's clear we won't get an agreement comprehensive enough to force the deep cuts scientists say are necessary to slow down climate change.

Yet the Copenhagen meeting is a promising and worthy successor to the Kyoto Protocols it is meant to succeed. That's because it brings all the major carbon emitting countries into one room, and one treaty.

We can meet Mr. Gore’s challenge

Satya discusses climate change with Al Gore

If anything, the former U.S. vice president and Nobel laureate underlines the case for responsible and sustainable development of the oil sands: the obligation of stewardship and ownership that falls to Albertans and Canadians.

Mind you, Gore obviously is using five-year old data and more than a bit of topspin when he says gasoline from the oil sands gives an ultra-clean Toyota Prius the same emissions profile as a gas-guzzling Hummer. The latest and most comprehensive review of scientific evidence shows the oil sands are about 10 per cent more emissions-intensive than conventional oil in the “well to wheels” analysis of the emissions profile. http://eipa.alberta.ca/home/lifecycle.aspx

Guest blog by Ron van der Eerden - Market regulation is not enough for oil sands

I wrote a quick comment to Satya's piece in Vancouver's The Province.

Twice Das states that Alberta "owns" the tar sands - and they are TAR sands. I find this the first clue to his wrong thinking and it begs the question what his motives really are.

Not nearly enough is said about what an environmental disaster the tar sands are and how ridiculously feeble are current environmental regulations. Is this just another marketing angle to reduce Canadian’s (and the globe’s) rightful fear and concern about this filthy resource to the benefit of wealthy Albertans? Who really “owns” this resource? And, more importantly, who owns the atmosphere the emissions will be dumped into?

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Green Oil Blog

Guest blog by Robert MacGarvey Copenhagen, and the Age of Unreason

Oil and terror mix all too well

Copenhagen summit is your call to action

We can meet Mr. Gore’s challenge

Guest blog by Ron van der Eerden - Market regulation is not enough for oil sands

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