The dirty oil of the tar sands took another hit today on the world stage.
The tar sands embarrassment came on the same day that Canada
"won" Fossil of the Day awards for the fourth time from
international environmental groups at the United Nations climate
conference in Copenhagen.
A group of 11 Members of the European Parliament (MEP) called on
the leaders of four European oil companies to stop producing oil
from the tar sands.
They say in their letters: "Right now, during the climate
negotiations in Copenhagen, the interest of some energy companies
in this massively destructive energy source is difficult to
understand. The momentum for the creation of a global low-carbon
economy and turning away from fossil fuels is stronger than ever
before."
The letters were sent to the CEOs and Chairmen of the Boards of
Directors of Shell, BP, Statoil and Total. They highlight the
energy intensity of tar sands production, the destruction of
forests, loss of biodiversity, production of toxic waste and impact
on local indigenous communities. They call on the company leaders
to act responsibly which would "mean a turn away from the tar sands
and towards clean energy sources."
The 11 MEPs represent three political groups and seven
countries.
Greenpeace France has undertaken three actions in France to
demand that French energy giant Total end its investments in dirty
tar sands oil. The biggest of the actions took place at a Total
refinery near Le Harve. See:
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/stoptarsands_france
Greenpeace Canada supported this action with a small action
against Total in Alberta:
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/greenpeace-alters-total-billbo
In May, Greenpeace took its campaign to expose the climate s
crimes of the tar sands to Scandinavia, targeting energy giant
Statoil:
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/greenpeace-takes-the-stop-tar-sands-to-scandinavia
For the fourth time since the Copenhagen conference began Dec.
7, Canada earned a "Fossil of the Day" award. Actually, this time
Canada received both the first- and second-place awards for:
* Saying it's in Canada's interest to replace the Kyoto
Protocol
* Saying Canada's inadequate target for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions by only three per cent is absolutely based on
science.
Fossil news release
Toronto Mayor David Miller "accepted" the non-prestigious awards
for Canada saying he received them with "disappointment and
regret."
News Conference
Canadian environmentalists, including Dave Martin, Greenpeace
climate and energy coordinator, held a mid-point news conference to
discuss Canada's unacceptable performance to date at the Copenhagen
conference.
A few Key points from the news conference:
- The first week of the historic UN climate conference has been a
disappointment.
- Canada continued to block meaningful progress on an
agreement.
- Canada has the worst targets for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions of any industrialized country.
- Industrial countries must: * commit to a collective
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 40 per cent below 1990
levels by 2020, * commit to a serious level of funding to
assist developing countries reduce emissions and adapt to climate
change
"We hope that next week with the arrival of environment
ministers and world leaders, there will be real action at this
conference. There is still the potential for progress but it is
vital that developed countries, including Canada, show leadership
on the major issues---science-based reduction targets and funding
for developing nations. "- Dave Martin, Greenpeace climate and
energy coordinator. Read Dave's blog.
Take Action:
Take part in one of the hundreds of Canadian events on Dec. 12
as part of the International Day of Climate Action. To find a
Canadian event, go to:
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/action/events/real-deal-map.html