Pristine wilderness as big as England polluted by tar sands

Once this landscape was a pristine wilderness roamed by deer now it's 'the most destructive industrial project on earth'
Lush green forests once blanketed an area of the Tar Sands at Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, larger than England
Area where blackened earth now stands dubbed by environmentalists as most destructive industrial project on earth
Boreal forest - once home to grizzly bears, moose and bison - is vanishing at rate second to Amazon deforestation



These incredible pictures show the bleak landscape of bitumen, sand and clay created by the frantic pursuit of 173billion barrels of untouched oil.

The Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada, are the world's third largest oil reserve - but lush green forests once blanketed an area there larger than England.

The region where the blackened earth now stands has been dubbed as the most destructive industrial project on earth by shocked environmentalists.


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it's depressing to see what man can do to this planet in the name of greed.....I thought we had learned our lesson with the pollution of the great lakes, and the overlogging of forests.....but as we work to preserve that which makes our country, and our planet, rich in beauty and natural resources....others work to destroy.

Thanks for posting this raees, we need to be reminded of our power to destroy that which is most precious.

That is truly disgusting. The Canadians should be pissed.

One possible reason Canada's economy is better than ours? Trading future beauty for current consumption.

It certainly is an ugly picture. The other half of the story is what Canada is doing to require reclamation efforts and funding after the projects are completed. I would not support this kind of mining without restoration and cleanup, funded by the mining companies. From what I read they do require reclamation work afterward.

http://www.oilsands.alberta.ca/reclamation.html

Good to get both sides of the story. With help nature is pretty good at reclaiming territory.

I would like to know what they mean by returning the sands to a productive state......does that mean they are returned to their original state, or just to something less ugly but can be used.....and for what?

archer wrote: I would like to know what they mean by returning the sands to a productive state......does that mean they are returned to their original state, or just to something less ugly but can be used.....and for what?

Good question. My grandfather came from farm country and he could never see the beauty in trees and mountains. "How many bushels of corn can you grow there?" Prairies are nice and animals will come back quickly. Look at Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Trees will come back too.

archer wrote: I would like to know what they mean by returning the sands to a productive state......does that mean they are returned to their original state, or just to something less ugly but can be used.....and for what?

I remember the Conifer area before it was polluted by thousands of homes and people, chain stores, and more pavement. I'll never see the Conifer I loved so much as a kid, but that's what progress gets ya. You won't see me taking my friends from out of town up there for a scenic drive.