Full-Page Tar Sands Ad in USA Today: “President Obama, you'll never guess who's standing between us and our new energy economy.”
Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations and ForestEthics run full page ad in USA Today warning that tar sands are a human and environmental hazard; Stand in way of America's new energy economy.
*B-roll and high-resolution stills of the Tar Sands are available to the media upon request.
Vancouver/Toronto – The Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations and environmental group ForestEthics have placed a full-page ad in USA Today highlighting the human and environmental damage wrought by Canada's Tar Sands.
The unprecedented advertisement, which features an oil splattered map of North America with oil oozing down from Canada into the United States, comes just two days before President Obama's first trip to Canada, and it makes an impassioned address to the new President. View the ad here.
“Both the federal and provincial governments have failed our aboriginal community for the sake of money, for the sake of corporate interests, and for the sake of increasing energy exports to the United States. We are seeing disheartening toxicity levels in our animal life and have now received confirmation of unacceptable cancer rates to people in our community. As a people who have been here for thousands of years, we are sad that no one will listen and that government sits back and issues denials and publicity campaigns without substance,” said Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.
Although the majority of Canada’s oil is destined for the U.S., most Americans are unaware that Canada is their biggest supplier of oil. The ad is part of a larger effort to raise awareness about the environmental and human health impacts of the tar sands.
“This ad will raise awareness that dirty oil from Canada’s tar sands is at odds with not only the clean energy future President Obama has embraced, but also his commitment to enable vulnerable communities to get ahead,” said Merran Smith, Director, Climate Program, ForestEthics. “Green energy, means jobs and the human security that only a clean and healthy environment can provide. Dirty Tar Sands oil truly is a ‘fossil’ fuel that has no place in North America’s green energy future.”
The Tar Sands are Canada’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. ForestEthics is calling on the Canadian government to shift towards a green energy economy as outlined by President Obama, who is planning to invest four times more money per person in clean energy. And, while North America transitions to renewable energy, actions need to be taken to clean up the impacts of the Tar Sands on water, air, land and communities.
