Aerial view of Syncrude Aurora tar sands mine in the Boreal Forest north of Fort McMurray.
© Greenpeace / Jiri Rezac
Greenpeace is calling on oil companies and the government to stop the tar sands and end the industrialization of a vast area of Indigenous territories, forests and wetlands in northern Alberta.
The tar sands are huge deposits of bitumen, a tar-like substance that’s turned into oil through complex and energy-intensive processes that cause widespread environmental damage — polluting the Athabasca River, lacing the air with toxins and turning farmland into wasteland. Large areas of the Boreal Forest are being clearcut to make way for development in the tar sands, the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
Greenpeace is also concerned with the social and health costs. First Nations communities in the tar sands report unusually high levels of rare cancers and autoimmune diseases. Their traditional way of life has been threatened. Substance abuse, suicide, gambling and family violence have increased in the tar sands. The thousands of workers brought in by oil companies face a housing crisis in northern Alberta.
Greenpeace is working to stop the tar sands by:
- Pressuring governments: The governments of Alberta and Canada actively promote tar sands development and ignore international commitments Canada has made to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Through direct action, we draw international attention to the governments’ climate crimes in the tar sands and demand change.
- Educating shareholders: We meet with Canadian and international shareholders in oil companies and discuss the investment risks associated with the tar sands.
- Working with impacted communities: We reach out to landowners and First Nations affected by the tar sands and stand in solidarity with them.