Ethical oil
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'''Ethical oil''' is an [[oxymoron|attempt]] to [[Conservative correctness|re-brand]] the Athabasca tar sands, and the [[Alberta]] [[oil]] industry in general. | '''Ethical oil''' is an [[oxymoron|attempt]] to [[Conservative correctness|re-brand]] the Athabasca tar sands, and the [[Alberta]] [[oil]] industry in general. | ||
| − | The term was originally coined by [[right-wing]] hack [[Ezra Levant]]<ref>[http://www.amazon.ca/Ethical-Oil-Case-Canadas-Sands/dp/0771046413 Ethical Oil: The Case For Canada's Oilsands]</ref> in an effort to mitigate the negative publicity that development of the tar sands had gathered due to its massive ecological destructiveness.<ref>Google "Alberta oil spill." | + | The term was originally coined by [[right-wing]] hack [[Ezra Levant]]<ref>[http://www.amazon.ca/Ethical-Oil-Case-Canadas-Sands/dp/0771046413 Ethical Oil: The Case For Canada's Oilsands]</ref> in an effort to mitigate the negative publicity that development of the tar sands had gathered due to its massive ecological destructiveness.<ref>Google "Alberta oil spill." Here's [[Star Trek|Captain Picard]]'s [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNsrK6P9QvI ultimate facepalm] when ready.</ref> It has since been adopted, unsurprisingly, by the oil industry itself.<ref>[http://www.ethicaloil.org/ Through the aptly-named Ethical Oil Institute], in fact.</ref> |
The argument runs something like this: "Sure developing the tar sands means tearing-up the landscape and dumping billions of tonnes of [[greenhouse gas]]ses into the atmosphere...but at least when oil is coming from [[Canada]] there's no money going towards supporting them [[heresy|godless]] [[Islam|Mooslims]] with their [[terrorism]] and [[shariah]] and all that. If we become the [[US]]' main provider they'll never have to go to [[Iraq War|war]] again! And [[Global warming conspiracy theory|global warming is probably a lie anyway]]!" | The argument runs something like this: "Sure developing the tar sands means tearing-up the landscape and dumping billions of tonnes of [[greenhouse gas]]ses into the atmosphere...but at least when oil is coming from [[Canada]] there's no money going towards supporting them [[heresy|godless]] [[Islam|Mooslims]] with their [[terrorism]] and [[shariah]] and all that. If we become the [[US]]' main provider they'll never have to go to [[Iraq War|war]] again! And [[Global warming conspiracy theory|global warming is probably a lie anyway]]!" | ||
Revision as of 05:55, 21 August 2012
| Not just a river in Egypt |
| A dirty dozen gems |
Ethical oil is an attempt to re-brand the Athabasca tar sands, and the Alberta oil industry in general.
The term was originally coined by right-wing hack Ezra Levant[1] in an effort to mitigate the negative publicity that development of the tar sands had gathered due to its massive ecological destructiveness.[2] It has since been adopted, unsurprisingly, by the oil industry itself.[3]
The argument runs something like this: "Sure developing the tar sands means tearing-up the landscape and dumping billions of tonnes of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere...but at least when oil is coming from Canada there's no money going towards supporting them godless Mooslims with their terrorism and shariah and all that. If we become the US' main provider they'll never have to go to war again! And global warming is probably a lie anyway!"
It has made a convenient shield for the Harper Government's aggressive expansion of the oil sands (which is unsurprising, given Harper's connections to the movement), to the point where it has repeatedly accused Canadian environmental groups of being agents of sinister foreign powers.[4]
Economics?
At this point the most adequate "ethical" justification for increasing crude production in Canada is to use it as emergency funding during a recession and/or funnel the cash made into developing technology that will make the extraction process more carbon neutral.[5] Indeed, Canuckistan had its recovery after 2008 sweetened thanks to resource industries in Western Canada picking up the slack from struggling manufacturing in the East.
This, of course, is a double-edged sword that could mean dangerous politics. There are growing signs that the economy is becoming over-reliant on the energy sector[6]; while this wouldn't be in a problem in, say, Saudi Arabia, the petroleum we're dealing with is extremely unconventional bitumen.[7] China and other world powers are only lining up for it now in the fear of peak oil, and when the effects of AGW reach a breaking point demand for the stuff will plummet. No allegory to the Yukon Gold Rush needed.[8]
See also
- NIMBY, a less-than-noble reason some oppose "Ethical" Oil
- Not as bad as
- Clean coal
- Drill baby, drill
Footnotes
- ↑ Ethical Oil: The Case For Canada's Oilsands
- ↑ Google "Alberta oil spill." Here's Captain Picard's ultimate facepalm when ready.
- ↑ Through the aptly-named Ethical Oil Institute, in fact.
- ↑ Deep Climate
- ↑ Pretty much what the Norwegians do with their nationalized Statoil.
- ↑ Falling oil puts pinch on economy, The Globe and Mail
- ↑ Canada oil sands emit more CO2 than average: report, Reuters
- ↑ And we all know what happened to Dawson City.