The true cost of oil - Alberta Tar Sands

This video showed how awfully we are treating our planet. Can we truly afford to continue to live this way?

The true cost of oil
What does environmental devastation actually look like? At TEDxVictoria, photographer Garth Lenz shares shocking photos of the Alberta Tar Sands mining project -- and the beautiful (and vital) ecosystems under threat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84zIj_EdQdM

So...no one's willing to spend the 17 minutes to watch us rape the planet so we can keep feeding our rising-cost energy addiction...or would you rather bury your heads in the sand and keep on truckin'?

Our way of life as we currently know it is coming to an end - we can't stop Canada from FUBAR'ing this planet, but we damn sure can keep their dirty tar from crossing our border, and can decrease our use of this s%^&. It's about time that Obama did something right, but it's not enough. Go ahead if you dare - see what we're doing in the name of "economy", it won't last...

Sorry, I don't get videos on my laptop, it like burns up and shuts down. Any simple pictures?

I can imagine its dirty and smelly though. Thats Oil. Maybe you all should consider going into engineering or science and inventing a low cost battery or a practical fuel cell? Do something, be a problem solver, take action!

Like it or not wicked, Canada IS going to do what they want with their land and they will either sell the oil to us, or some other country like China who's record on environmental regulation is dwarfed by ours. I personally believe our end will come from economic collapse way before we tap out the environment. And when people have no money to heat their homes, they will light anything that burns.

So if the tar sands are going to be developed, would it not be safer for the environment to ship it a shorter distance to a more responsible country?

But Bill, the oil won't come to our country, only through our country (okay, and on our country once there's a spill). The purported economic advantages of this pipeline just aren't there. It won't create any real advantages for our nation, but guaranteed to come with negative environmental impacts.

Big risk, no reward.

As a conservative I respect, I wonder how you reconcile the theft of private lands necessary to bring this project to fruition? It will be necessary to take private property from citizens through eminent domain. Do you think the needs of the many justify this? I don't know about you, but I don't want anyone touching my land, or yours, or anyones.

plaidvillain wrote: But Bill, the oil won't come to our country, only through our country (okay, and on our country once there's a spill). The purported economic advantages of this pipeline just aren't there. It won't create any real advantages for our nation, but guaranteed to come with negative environmental impacts.

Big risk, no reward.

As a conservative I respect, I wonder how you reconcile the theft of private lands necessary to bring this project to fruition? It will be necessary to take private property from citizens through eminent domain. Do you think the needs of the many justify this? I don't know about you, but I don't want anyone touching my land, or yours, or anyones.

I have to agree with you here..

Wicked wrote: So...no one's willing to spend the 17 minutes to watch us rape the planet so we can keep feeding our rising-cost energy addiction...or would you rather bury your heads in the sand and keep on truckin'?

Our way of life as we currently know it is coming to an end - we can't stop Canada from FUBAR'ing this planet, but we damn sure can keep their dirty tar from crossing our border, and can decrease our use of this s%^&. It's about time that Obama did something right, but it's not enough. Go ahead if you dare - see what we're doing in the name of "economy", it won't last...

Oh my

Good posting

plaidvillain wrote: But Bill, the oil won't come to our country, only through our country (okay, and on our country once there's a spill). The purported economic advantages of this pipeline just aren't there. It won't create any real advantages for our nation, but guaranteed to come with negative environmental impacts.

Big risk, no reward.

As a conservative I respect, I wonder how you reconcile the theft of private lands necessary to bring this project to fruition? It will be necessary to take private property from citizens through eminent domain. Do you think the needs of the many justify this? I don't know about you, but I don't want anyone touching my land, or yours, or anyones.

As for the risk, I don't know of any major oil spills on land that have caused significant impact on the environment (maybe you know of some) .There are already hundreds of large pipelines across this country and can't remember hearing about any disasters. And as for the "stealing" of land, not sure what land will be stolen...maybe passed through in which case the owner should be compensated.

I think there would be 1000 times more environmental risk shipping to China, but that's just my guess.

This oil spill in Michigan was only a year and half ago...up to a million gallons...

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... an-river/1

Its interesting events like this don't get more media coverage, but simply because it isn't widely covered doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

You make a very fair point about increased risks in shipping to China, but we can't always control how other countries operate. Still, just because we can't stop them is no legitimate reason to join them. Yes, China uses a lot of oil and they don't implement pollution/emissions standards, but how long can they continue? Their cities have awful air quality and it is impacting their people terribly. Perhaps that's why they're investing billions in alternative energy development. Shouldn't we be leading the charge towards getting away/off fossil fuels? Isn't this the modern Sputnik/space race?

I haven't seen anything to support the proposed economic advantages of this pipeline, yet there are a great many reasons to be skeptical. I think these oil companies believe Americans are suckers.

Oh, hundreds of eminent domain cases have already been filed in NE and TX, and the project hasn't even been approved yet!

Do you believe a pipeline built with today's technology would be far superior to this Michigan pipeline built in 1969? The world runs on oil whether you like it or not, and we don't have an affordable alternative...yet. You can have a dream of replacing oil and coal with something else but a dream won't heat your house or power your car. Until you or anyone else can figure out a way for the "99%" to be able to afford green energy, we have to rely on the evil black stuff...and that's just pure reality.