National Geographic Slams Tar Sands – Canadian Politicians Pissed

by Kimberly Mok from TreeHugger

Some are calling it a “smear job”, while others are applauding the National Geographic’s rather sobering 20-page publication on the Alberta tar sands, titled “Scraping Bottom.” Either way, its timing is brilliant.

Canadian Tar Sands Before and After

Canadian Tar Sands Before and After

Dubbed by some as the “most destructive project on Earth” – scarring it visibly from space – there’s no doubt that the tar sands extraction industry has a huge environmental footprint, which even President Obama could not help but acknowledge during his visit to Ottawa last week, to the chagrin of some Canadian officials. Many of them, from Prime Minister Stephen Harper on down, are attempting to control the potential damage in the lead up to the ministerial visit to the U.S. next week – but it’s almost like watching the frantic efforts of a doctor as the patient is hemorraging to death. TH

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