Why it matters:

The Alberta Tar Sands are one of the most horrific environmental catastrophes of all time yet bring Shell and it’s big oil compadres record profits: H2Oil tells the story with incredible poignancy.

Recap:

Thanks to Alberta’s Athabasca oil sands, Canada is now the biggest oil supplier to the United States. A controversial billion-dollar industry is heavily invested in extracting crude from the tarry sands through a process so toxic it has become an international cause for concern.

Four barrels of glacier-fed spring water are used to process each barrel of oil, then are dumped, laden with carcinogens, into leaky tailings ponds so huge they can be seen from space. Downstream, the people of Fort Chipewyan are already paying the price for what will be one of the largest industrial projects in history. When a local doctor raises the alarm about clusters of rare cancers, evidence mounts for industry and government cover-ups.

Commentary:

So, not only are we fighting wars for oil overseas, but we’re also destroying our most pristine lands right here in North America, all to feed the addiction.  George Bush said it best when he said our nation is addicted to oil (you bet he wishes he never uttered those words), but few of us realize the impact on water and forests, right here in our own continent.

H2Oil is an incredible look at what seems like a bad science fiction horror story that’s actually real.  For every barrel of oil extracted from the tar sands, Shell and it’s crack-dealing, uhm I mean gas-dealing friends burn 4.  Yes, you read that right.  Even an 8 year old can see that’s just bad math.

Then you factor in the reality that for every barrel of oil extracted, Shell makes 4 barrels of pristine fresh water, totally unpristine.  This deal just keeps getting better doesn’t it!?

On top of all that, the Alberta Tar Sands are destroying, irrevocably, some of the most pristine lands in the world, the boreal forests, which happen to be working day in and day out to halt global warming.  Well, until they were flattened by bulldozers, that is.  The great result, beyond the continuation of complete idiocy?  The people of Fort Chipewyan are showing record rates of cancer and other ailments, much like the people of Appalachia are from mountaintop removal.

So, for one barrel of oil we burn 4, pollute 4 barrels of fresh water, destroy acres of pristine lands and….to top it all off…kill people.  Yay!  What an awesome plan.  Thank you Shell.  Your shareholders can rejoice.

Creative Solutions:

• Watch H2Oil and Bring All Your Friends
• Tell Royal Bank of Canada to Stop Funding Tar Sands
• Support H2Oil on Facebook
• Park the Car – Walk or Ride a Bike
• Get Regular Tune Ups
• Drive Slow, Save Gas
• Inflate Your Tires
• Buy a Natural Gas Car
• Convert to Bio Car
• Watch CRUDE, the Movie Chevron Doesn’t Want You to See

Tagged as: ablerta, canda, contamination, enviornmental catastrophe, h2oil, movie, oil companies, shell, suncor, tar oil, tar sands, tourism, Water