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Pulling oil from the tar sands of Alberta is creating huge 
environmental problems.

Extracting oil from the tar sands of Alberta carries a huge environmental cost.

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Buried below the Boreal Forest of northern Alberta is a source of oil known as the tar sands. Deposits of tar sands are spread out over 138 000 km2 of land (an area the size of Florida) and including 4.3 million hectares of the Boreal Forest.

Until recently, it was too expensive and complicated to extract the tar sands to produce oil, but over the past few years increases in oil prices and technological changes have made it possible, and profitable.

Companies are now producing over a million barrels of oil per day from the tar sands, and this number is constantly increasing.

But the explosive growth of these projects has huge environmental costs, damaging land, air, water, forests, and the climate.  Greenpeace is calling on oil companies and the government to stop the tar sands, for the sake of people and the planet.

Latest News

Prominent lawyer questions Stelmach's interference in judicial system

Prominent Alberta lawyer Brian Beresh raised concerns today that Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is unconstitutionally using his position as premier to exert political influence over the judicial system and undermine the right to fair trials for Greenpeace activists.

Tar Sands Update

Nineteen Greenpeace activists have struck again. This time they have scaled three stacks at Shell’s operation in Fort Saskatchewan to expose more of the climate crimes of the tar sands and send a Climate SOS to the world. Activists from Canada, France, Brazil and Australia scaled the chimneys at an under-construction upgrader to stop more destruction before it can start. Two activists have been detained.

Greenpeace strikes again: Activists occupy Shell upgrader expansion site in Fort Saskatchewan

Nineteen Greenpeace activists have struck again. This time they have scaled three stacks at Shell’s operation in Fort Saskatchewan to expose more of the climate crimes of the tar sands and send a Climate SOS to the world.

Significant failure in reporting tar sands greenhouse gas emissions

The extent of greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands operations is much worse than reported due to the failure of oil companies and governments to account for emissions from forest destruction, according to new research by Global Forest Watch Canada.

Greenpeace takes action again, blocking Suncor tar sands operations International activists join Canadians in saying no to tar sands

Greenpeace activists are disrupting Suncor operations today in the heart of the tar sands north of Fort McMurray by stopping two bitumen conveyor belts to highlight the climate crime of tar sands operations.