Oilsands 'much worse' than BP spill: U.S. campaign

[Azure]

EDMONTON — Billboard ads urging Americans not to visit Alberta this summer are only the start of a heavy-duty campaign to highlight the environmental impact of the oilsands, a San Francisco-based organization said Wednesday.
"In many ways, Alberta is . . . spending a lot of money to put a beautiful environmental wrapper around a very destructive environmental package," said Michael Marx, director of Corporate Ethics International. "Our job is to get people to look past the cover, to unwrap the cover and see what's really inside."
On Wednesday morning, billboards in Denver, Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis described Alberta as "the other oil disaster." Under the message was a picture of a dead duck in a Syncrude tailings pond beside a picture of a oil-slicked pelican in the Gulf of Mexico.
Marx said the ad speaks to American anger about the BP oil spill in the gulf, but, "We think that actually, in the end, there's no comparison. The tarsands are much worse."

http://www.montrealgazette.com/trave...865/story.html

lol?

[Stranger]

It's almost laughable.

[Phanuthier]

hahahahahahahaha.........

[HeartsOfFire]

This makes me FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU-

Not because it's completely false, but because of the addage: Tell a lie often enough, it will eventually become the truth.

I'm left to trust that John Q. Public will think this claim is ridiculous, but given how much bad press Canada has gotten over hot-button issues like the oilsands, seal clubbing, and the Stampede rodeo, I think such trust is naïve.

[Canuck-Hater]

It does do significant damage to the environment, but not on the same scale as the oil spill that is for sure.

[Jetsfan]

Its not even close when compared to the spill in the Gulf. What a joke.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Canuck-Hater

It does do significant damage to the environment, but not on the same scale as the oil spill that is for sure.

Not even close to the same scale.

And while the environmental damages of the tarsands are real, there are ways to minimize the long-term effect.

[missdpuck]

I'd rather go to Alberta than the Gulf, dammit!!!

[killer_carlson]

what this does prove though, is that our provincial government has failed completely in the public relations campaign with respect to the most important industry in the province.

[FlamesAddiction]

I wonder if they realize how many American companies and employees profit from the Alberta oil industry.

[Canuck-Hater]

Originally Posted by Azure

Not even close to the same scale.

And while the environmental damages of the tarsands are real, there are ways to minimize the long-term effect.

Yeah but they wont minimize the long term because they will lose money. In Alberta Money>environment unfortunately.

[Pinner]

I'm part of the oil/gas industry and I see alot of downside to the oil-sands, environmentally speaking

[kermitology]

I'd respond, but I'm currently drowning in oil that I got trapped in.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Pinner

I'm part of the oil/gas industry and I see alot of downside to the oil-sands, environmentally speaking

I'm actually a project engineer for some contaminated sites for the larger oil companies, and I see a lot of upside.

Job security!

[Bill Bumface]

Vs.



Hmmmmm.....

(I know not all oilsands operations are In Situ, but jesus, clean up the strip mines, build a nuke plant and it's not that big of a deal)

[HotHotHeat]

The real truth is America and their way of life is the world's greatest environmental disaster.

I seriously have the biggest love/hate relationship with that country.

[calumniate]

Tainting the worlds water supply is never a good thing. That's the common denominator. But it isn't 'worse' that's for sure. It's just 'real bad'.

[Day Tripper]

How do they measure "worseness" in particular? I hope they can back up their claims that the oil sands are a worse environmental disaster than the BP oil spill, otherwise I'd chalk this up to sensationalism spread by a group that cares more about publicity than they do about the environment.

[zarrell]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

The real truth is America and their way of life is the world's greatest environmental disaster.

I seriously have the biggest love/hate relationship with that country.

Go ahead and add Canada, Europe and pretty much any other developed country in the world to that list.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

what this does prove though, is that our provincial government has failed completely in the public relations campaign with respect to the most important industry in the province.

So . . . . . if I personally bought billboards of the same description in the same cities that means "our provincial government has failed completely in the public relations campaign with respect to the most important industry in the province?"

I'm a powerful dude.

It's not about whether a particular group sticks up the billboards, it's about whether or not there is a discernible reaction from the group that's being targeted.

We will wait and see.

Anyway, if the comparison is as false as is being claimed, then the Alberta government should sue them for damages. If any arise at all.

Making an outrageous claim forces the other side to react, which in turn creates a debate and publicity. It's a smart tactic because, of course, the Alberta government isn't going to sue.

The oil sands occupy a postage stamp size plot of land largely removed by hours of driving from the majority of humanity. The watershed is a genuine issue as is CO2 emissions.

Cowperson